Controversial social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has threatened legal action against telecommunications giant MTN over the alleged use of his National Identification Number-linked phone number in advertisements promoting the proposed Dangote Industries share offering.

VeryDarkMan, in a statement circulated on social media, said he had not authorised MTN to use his number for promotional messages relating to the Dangote IPO and demanded an explanation from the telecommunications company.

He said his lawyers would write to MTN over the matter, warning that the company could face litigation if it failed to provide an explanation for what he described as the unauthorised use of his personal information.

The activist also questioned the rationale behind the Dangote IPO, particularly the reported ₦5,000 entry point, describing the offer as a scheme that could ultimately benefit wealthy investors at the expense of poorer Nigerians.

According to him, the relatively small amount required from individual participants could make it difficult for many subscribers to pursue the matter if they failed to derive expected benefits from the investment in the future.

VeryDarkMan argued that if the Dangote Group was genuinely concerned about improving the welfare of Nigerians, it should prioritise reducing the prices of essential commodities and products, including cement, petrol, rice and sugar, rather than encouraging Nigerians to buy shares.

“The whole Dangote IPO thing looks like a Ponzi scheme to me. I see it as the poor enriching the rich,” he said, while stressing that his objection was not simply about the ₦5,000 required to participate.

He maintained that his concerns extended to the wider question of how ordinary Nigerians would benefit from the share offering, while simultaneously demanding accountability from MTN over the alleged use of his NIN-linked number.