Federal lawmakers in Nigeria have kicked against the landmark deal reached by MTN and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regarding the fine slammed on the operator by the regulator.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Saheed Fijabi, NCC’s sudden shift in position is a subject of concern, adding that the new agreement is unacceptable.
He said: “It came to us as a surprise to hear that MTN is paying NGN300 billion. How can they be paying that amount when the minister told us that everything was stalled pending the outcome of our investigation?”
He said the lawmakers are opposed to the reduction of the fine because there is no provision in the NCC’s Act that the fine can be reduced.
“In fact, Section 21 of the Act stipulates that even the CEO of a defaulting firm can be made to pay additional fine of over N200,000 on each of the lines,” Fijabi said.
“Ordinarily, MTN’s total fine should be doubled to about NGN3 trillion and not even the NGN1.4 trillion they were asked to pay.”