How a 127GB whatsApp backup became a lesson in Nigeria’s data consumption crisis

For years, Nigerian telecom subscribers have complained about one thing more than almost any other issue: data depletion. From social media posts to radio phone-ins and customer care complaints, consumers have repeatedly asked the same question: Why does my data finish so quickly? Over the weekend, that debate took centre stage in an unusual public hearing organised by MTN Nigeria, where the country’s largest telecom operator effectively put itself on trial before consumers, journalists, technology experts, digital creators and industry stakeholders. What emerged from hours of testimony was not necessarily proof that telecom operators are blameless. Instead, it exposed a widening gap between how Nigerians think they consume data and how modern smartphones, applications and digital services actually use it. Read also: MTN Nigeria emerges major non-oil revenue source with N878.7bn tax remittance At the centre of the discussion was an unlikely culprit: a 127-gigabyte WhatsApp backup. “We had a colleague who accused us of stealing her data,” Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria chief executive officer told attendees. “When we investigated, we discovered that her WhatsApp backup had grown to 127 gigabytes and was being backed up daily over mobile data.” The anecdote drew laughter from the audience, but it underscored a
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