Business
MTN bursts FG’s bubble, says we can’t pay more than N80bn of N330bn fine till 2020
The Federal Government’s hope of raking in N330 billion from MTN as fine may have been dashed as the GSM giant has said it can not pay more than N80 billion till 2020.
It could be recalled that the said penalty was for the company’s failure to register more than eight million lines of its subscribers in 2014.
The original fine was N500 billion, but the South African firm used it has reached out to convince government top functionaries to cut it down to the current charge.
However, it was gathered that a delegation of the company, who met with the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, told him bad that business in 2016 had made it impossible to meet further payment.
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In addition, the delegate raised the issue of other competitors, including Airtel, Etisalat and others whose default on similar act were not treated the same way with that of MTN’s.
“MTN does not have a choice, when the law was made, it said for every unregistered SIM card in use, the fine is N200, 000, the law never anticipated that one company will be in violation to the tune of millions of lines.
“It was inconceivable, so when the thing was added 200,000 times 5.2 million lines, it came to a trillion plus,” the Minister had told newsmen.
He said that even in the court system, if one was fined and could not pay for one reason or the other, the person would ask for reconsideration either by way of appeal or bringing a motion, adding that so far MTN is playing to the gallery.
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seyi jelili
December 27, 2016 at 8:08 am
FG and MTN fine saga is funny. I even thought the matter is over all this while. MTN knows how to get their money back easily from their subscribers. We will be the ones to pay for all.
JOHNSON PETER
December 27, 2016 at 8:10 am
Abi now. Federal government thought they fine MTN but indirectly they fined all Nigerians MTN users. Because na we go pay for am.
Amarachi Okoye
December 28, 2016 at 5:09 am
True talk dear because what ever they say wil still bance back to us
yanju omotodun
December 27, 2016 at 8:31 am
#80 billion out of #330b , they have not tried at all. Federal government must make sure they pay all latest January ending of 2017.
Margret Dickson
December 27, 2016 at 8:41 am
MTN and FG are rivals, just like PDP and APC… Let them keep battling it, in the end… MTN will still have to pay the money in full or partly. It’s a win win game for FG
Animashaun Ayodeji
December 27, 2016 at 9:16 am
It’s payback time, MTN must pay, not only because FG fined them but for also the free promotional sms MTN has been bombarding our telephones with, the promotional caller tunes they imposed on us, the advert telephone class (impersonating real numbers)
Roland Uchendu Pele
December 27, 2016 at 10:12 am
If those were the reason for the fine, it would have been acceptable, really. I get really pissed off at those unnecessary adverts!
Nonso Ezeugo
December 28, 2016 at 5:05 am
Same hear because they like to impose it on someone and is not right