FG may impose ‘tougher sanction’ on MTN Nigeria

The Federal Government may impose ‘a tougher sanction’ against MTN Nigeria over the telco’s decision to contend in court the N780bn fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for regulatory infractions, Daily Trust has learnt.  

The South African telecoms operator filed a suit at the Federal High Court Lagos last week to quash the fine but NCC said yesterday it had yet to be served any court paper on the suit.

Daily Trust heard in Abuja yesterday that the senior officials at the telecoms regulatory agency were both embarrassed and irked by MTN’s decision to go to court after it had already owned up that it breached the NCC Act on SIM registration regulations. 
One of the senior officials told our reporter that the commission may slam a tougher sanction against MTN in early 2016 for its refusal to honour a ‘gentleman agreement’ reached with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in November.
The senior official who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter said: “MTN had written to the government on November 2, 2015, where it admitted it had breached the NCC Act. In the letter signed by Pascal Dozie and Micheal Ikpoki, the company pleaded for leniency and promised not to breach any NCC Act or disregard any directive from NCC again.
“It was based on that letter that the Presidency directed us (NCC) to slash 25 per cent from the initial $5.2bn fine imposed on the company. We communicated it to them and they agreed.