MTN’s executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko was in Nigeria as the deadline to pay a $5.2 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards approaches.

This is according to a Reuters report, which cited a source with knowledge of the matter.

Nhleko, who became executive chairman earlier this week after CEO Sifiso Dabengwa quit over the fine, said that he would proactively deal with the Nigerian regulator and will continue to work with them in addressing the issues around unregistered subscribers as a matter of urgency.

MTN is being fined for failing to cut off around 5 million subscribers for which it did not have details as Nigeria is trying to cut down on crimes committed via cellphones.

The fine, which is due on Monday, has weighed heavily on MTN’s shares and has seen them lose about a quarter of their value since the it was announced towards the end of October.

Some analysts have described the fine as “crazy” and noted it amounts to 2.5 years’ worth of MTN profits.