‘You took our money, admit Nigerians don’t matter,’ Ben Bruce blasts Elon Musk over Starlink

By Tolulope Oke

Former senator and Chairman of Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, has publicly criticised Elon Musk over what he described as poor internet service delivery by Starlink in Nigeria.

In a post on X, Murray-Bruce accused the satellite internet provider of overselling its capacity and leaving Nigerian users with unreliable service despite charging full subscription fees.

He said his experience with the service had deteriorated significantly, claiming that it now only works effectively between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., amounting to about six hours of usable connectivity daily.

“I bought a Model S the first year you released it in California. I believed in what you were building. I got Starlink a few years ago in Nigeria, it was brilliant. Now? It only works between 11pm and 5am. Six hours out of 24,” he wrote.

The former lawmaker alleged that the company had saturated its network beyond capacity, questioning why such practices would be tolerated in Nigeria.

“In England, providers stop selling once infrastructure is maxed out. Why is Nigeria different?” he asked.

Murray-Bruce further accused the company of exploiting Nigerian customers, stating that users are paying full price for a service that works only a fraction of the time.

“This isn’t innovation. This is exploitation. You took our money, saturated the network, and left us with a glorified paperweight for 18 hours a day,” he added.

He called on Musk to address the situation or clearly state the company’s position regarding Nigerian customers.

“Fix it or say it out loud: Nigerian customers don’t matter to you,” he said.

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has gained popularity in Nigeria for providing high-speed satellite internet, particularly in areas with limited broadband infrastructure. However, concerns have been raised in recent months over network congestion and inconsistent service quality in some locations.