Furious TStv dealers, agents and installers in Nigeria have staged a public protest in Abuja, accusing the Nigeria's TStv satellite pay-TV operator of massive fraud and demanding their money back that they had paid over a year ago for TStv decoders that never arrived.
The shambolic TStv had already been caught out over multiple fake promises to consumers, a litany of false starting dates and even pirating stolen TV channel signals.
Angry TStv dealers on Tuesday held a public protest at TStv's headquarters in Abuja where they were not allowed to enter and with TStv CEO and managing director Bright Echefu refusing to answer their questions.
They are demanding a refund of more than N1 billion ($2.74 million / R39 million) that they had made more than a year ago to Telecom Satellite TV (TStv) in pre-payments for TStv decoders, satellite dishes and other accessories that haven't been delivered as part of the company's false promises to agents, customers and the Nigerian government.
TStv that tried to compete with MultiChoice Africa's DStv and China's StarTimes imploded with lies and fraud, and in April yet again claimed to start selling TStv decoders after multiple postponed dates and a failed launch in October 2017.
The claimed "Sassy" decoder that no longer looked like any of the stolen images TStv earlier used, and that was to be sold without a satellite dish or LNB, is apparently nowhere to be found.
After the failed launch, with TStv first promising multiple TV channels it had no channel carriage contracts for, and blatantly pirating stolen TV signals, also dropped its false claims of free WiFi - the Sassy isn't capable to provide it.
Dealers and agents who were lured by TStv with fake and false claims to hand over money to sell decoders and do installations are now demanding their money back.
They are accusing Bright Echefu, as well as Nigeria's clueless minister of information, Lai Mohammed who gave TStv a three year tax waiver, of fraud and deceit.
In a statement protesting TStv dealers say "When TStv launched operations last year October with the aid of minister of information Lai Mohammed, a lot of us took up their dealership with N13.6 million each being paid for TStv decoder and accessories with vouchers".
"But as we speak not a single decoder has been given to the dealers, with several failed promises and deceit by CEO Bright Echefu since last year October. We have to speak out and let the whole country knows what we are going through, more so since TStv is still collecting money from innocent Nigeria."
Today at tstv headquarters in Abuja. Dealers demanding for their money. Tstv turns out to be a scam aided by Alhaji Lai Muhammad and malam kawu madibo of NBC pic.twitter.com/eYoYin5DDu— TstvSuperDealers (@TstvD) October 16, 2018
TStv staffers in Nigeria have allegedly gone unpaid since April and TStv's headquarters has apparently been mostly deserted after 80% of the TStv staff got fired who have also been owed months of unpaid salaries.
My friend works there. Hasnt been paid since April. The went to work one morning to find the whole place deserted after sacking more than 80% of them and still oweing them 4 months salary.— Emeka Okoro (@lewisemekaokoro) October 16, 2018
The scam we all fell for who will save us now... After paying millions of Naira since last year to @tstvafrica the MD has refused to answer our calls.... We go to their office and they lock us outside.... We are tired of these lies.. Someone pls save us ooooo... @segalink https://t.co/TOyFSiqxzK— Babajide (@Babajide3) October 16, 2018
The last time Bright Echefu made a public statement was in late August, when he issued a statement saying "From the date we announced TStv, it has been fight all the way".
"I doubt if a week passed without us quenching one fire or the other. We didn’t anticipate that there would be war. We were also not trained to fight in the arena we were pushed into."
"The kinds of weapons our enemies would later contend us with, showed they had stocked their armoury waiting for a time like now."
"We may not have their kind of money, neither their kinds of weapons, ''connections'' and networks but one thing I sure know we had more than them was a determined spirit and a steadfast God. A God who doesn’t fail."
On 20 August Bright Echefu said "Our struggles drained us financially and pitched us against all good meaning Nigerians, subscribers and dealers that believed in us. We were wrestled even down to our satellite providers but our God is ever faithful."
