MTN’s pleas to ease Nigerian fine fall on deaf ears again
Mobile phone operator MTN’s pleas for leniency following a $5.2 billion fine for failing to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered Nigerian users has suffered another setback after the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) insisted the company pay the penalty.
The governors’ body argued that the Nigeria Communications Commission’s (NCC) decision to impose the record fine was justified, according to a statement issued by the NGF. The governors also called on the Federal Government to expedite action in compelling the MTN to pay the fine.
“We, the governors forum decided to support the NCC to abide by the laws of the land and the laws of our land do not give leniency to deliberate offence to our nation,” NGF Chairman and Governor of Zamfara State Abdulaziz Yari said in the statement.
MTN Nigeria was fined earlier this year for not disconnecting unregistered cellphone subscribers. The Nigerian business is the South African-based MTN Group’s most lucrative subsidiary. It has about 62 million customers among Nigeria’s 170 million people.