N1.04tn Fine: Minister Denies Meeting MTN in Secret

N1.04tn Fine: Minister Denies  Meeting MTN in Secret

 

The Nigerian Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, yesterday denied reports making the rounds that he boycotted the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms regulatory body, which originated the fine, and that he allegedly held secret meeting with MTN, which paved the way for MTN to pay a self-determined N50 billion as part payment and the subsequent withdrawal of the case by MTN.

A press statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Victor Oluwadamilare, noted that the minister clarified issues over the controversy and misinformation trailing the role of the ministry in the out-of-court settlement by MTN Nigeria, and its payment of N50 billion to the federal government.

“To all intents and purposes, there is no controversy whatsoever about the expected role of ministries over its agencies and parastatals, and the Ministry of Communications could not have been an exception. Thus, it is common knowledge that the Ministry of Communications statutorily has supervisory role over its agencies, including the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC),” Oluwadamilare quoted the minister to have said.

“It is against this backdrop that it is strange and curious, that a section of the Nigerian media has decided to deliberately misinform the reading public about the correct position of things. It is evidently untrue that the Nigerian government sidelines its own regulator, the NCC by striking a secret deal with MTN,” adding “In whose interest will this be?” Oluwadamilare said.

According to him, contrary to the innuendoes based on jaundiced reasoning, there was no negotiation of any kind by the Communications Minister and MTN over the fine regime imposed on it by the NCC.

Rather, the whole theatrics of going to court, ostensibly to buy time and escape the December 31, 2015 deadline, wanting an out-of-court settlement and the eventual payment of N50 billion as down payment were all decisions freely taken by the MTN without any prompting from the minister.

It is equally important to set the record straight that no money was paid to the coffers of the ministry as being maliciously insinuated, as this is not the practice since the ministry does not collect money on behalf of any of its agencies.