The telco, which recently underwent a major rebrand from 9mobile following its acquisition by LH Telecommunication, confirmed that it has discharged all obligations to its advertising agencies through an installment payment plan brokered by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

Cleaning the Balance Sheet: The T2 Recovery Roadmap

The settlement is a critical milestone in T2’s “four-phase recovery roadmap” (Stabilization, Modernization, Transformation, and Growth).

For years, the telco, previously Etisalat Nigeria, struggled with a shrinking subscriber base (dropping to ~3.2 million by early 2025) and mounting local debts that strained its relationship with the creative ecosystem.

As of mid-2025, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) launched an investigation into 9mobile (now rebranded as T2) regarding an alleged debt of ₦1 billion owed to various advertising agencies

The Mediation: Led by COO, John Vasikaran, the T2 executive team visited ARCON HQ yesterday to formally close the matter.

The Impact: By clearing these liabilities, T2 is signaling to the market that it is “investment-ready” as it leverages its new roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria to regain market share.

A Strategic “Thank You” to ARCON

The visit serves as a high-profile endorsement for Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, the director-general of ARCON, at a time when the regulator is facing intense pushback from the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN).

While ADVAN has recently escalated its legal battle against ARCON, filing a fresh lawsuit and an “Open Letter to the President” claiming that the regulator’s interference in private contracts is killing business confidence, T2 is offering a counter-narrative.

“The Council’s facilitative role was instrumental in achieving an amicable settlement that preserved business relationships while honoring contractual obligations,” EMTS representatives stated during the visit.

The Ad-Industry Tug-of-War (2025/2026)

The ‘Digital’ Leverage

From a tech perspective, this is about the health of the supply chain. Advertising agencies are the “marketing engine” for telcos.

By utilizing ARCON’s AISOP (Advertising Industry Standard of Practice), which mandates a maximum 45-day payment cycle, T2 is attempting to distance itself from its legacy of insolvency.

However, the industry remains split. While T2 praises ARCON for “professionalizing the sector,” other multinationals (under the ADVAN umbrella) view these same regulations as a breach of constitutional freedom of contract.

The Nigerian Marketing Development Team, will be a group of top Marketing Professionals from the various multinational and local organizations, to lead growth and value for marketing in Nigeria, through the execution of relevant research, case studies, as well as the provision of top value marketing and business insights

Speaking on the objective of the group- Osamede Uwubanmwen, the ADVAN President said, “As senior professionals of marketing, we have a duty to lead the narrative for marketing in Nigeria. For The Profession- we must contribute towards creating valuable, real-time marketing insights, case studies etc., that serve in educating up-coming professionals”.

ALSO READ: Top Digital Marketing Personalities in Nigeria 2022

“For The Practice- we need to provide learning on how effective marketing should be done, this we will do by providing insights for global marketing best practices in Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking on the structure of the team, Osamede added that “An online platform will be set up to showcase all the work being done. The platform will publish contributions, position papers, research, articles, etc., for the marketing industry and nation as a whole.”

Already some higher institutions of learning have invited the ADVAN team to contribute on formulating robust curricula for their business departments.

Also, the World Federation of Advertisers has invited Nigerian Marketing leaders to be part of the Sustainable Marketing 2030 global project, a project in over 45 countries around the world.  2023 marks the halfway point for the achievement of the United National Sustainable Development Goals.

ADVAN along with WFA and Kantar, are launching a global research project to understand what’s changed, what still needs to happen – and better understand the role of marketing in being part of the solution to a more sustainable future

ADVAN is the umbrella body for all Advertisers – organizations that engage in high level marketing activities to showcase their businesses. The association’s members control over 90% of marketing spend in Nigeria.