Tag Archives: Adebayo Shittu

FG To Investigate MTN’s Payment Claim – Shittu

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The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Wednesday, said the ministry would investigate the claim by South African mobile telecommunication giant, MTN that it has paid 50 billion naira into government’s coffers towards a possible settlement of the dispute with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).



The minister also said the firm’s claim that it has withdrawn the matter from the court is being investigated by the government.



The Special Assistant on Media Affairs to the Minister, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, told The Nation that government’s position on the matter has been made clear, but MTN went to court for reasons best known to it.



He said: “Government’s position on the issue is sacrosanct, MTN secured 25 percent reduction on the fine imposed by the regulatory body. Suddenly, it proceeded to court to challenge the government. Now we are told they have withdrawn the case from court and have paid 50 billion naira to the government.

“Well, I can tell you on behalf of the Minister of Communications and Technology that we are studying the situation. If it is confirmed that they have withdrawn the case from court and have paid the said amount, then the government would make its position known on the matter.”

N1tn fine: Buhari’ll Decide MTN’s Fate, Says Minister

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The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, said on Tuesday that President Muhammadu Buhari would decide MTN Nigeria’s fate regarding the N1.04tn fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

 

He stated that the President would take the final decision on the matter at the appropriate time and “in the public interest.”

The minister also said that Buhari’s decision would be on the basis that the “government and MTN are on the same page that rules had been broken in this instance.”

 

Shittu stated this on the sidelines of the Alliance 4 Affordable Internet Nigeria Coalition Conference in Lagos, according to an online publication, Technology Times.

 

“The issue is now before Mr. President. He will take the necessary decision at the appropriate time. I think Nigerians will expect that Mr. President would do the best to ensure that the public interest is guaranteed,” he said.

 

The minister dismissed reports that the government was negotiating with the MTN Group and was considering slashing the fine, saying there was no conflicting position on where the government stood on the matter.

Shittu noted, “Recall that there were violations, which were established against MTN. The violations were to the tune of five million (unregistered SIM cards). That is a whole lot.

“There are many countries where subscribers are not up to half of five million. In the case of Nigeria, we had more than five million violations. The good thing is that MTN did not contest the fact that they had violated the regulations and guidelines. They never contested it. They admitted they were at fault.

“They apologised for their role in the saga and they made a commitment that what happened would never happen again. And of course, they made a plea for the review of the payment terms.”

 

Credit : Punch