Headline$5.2b Penalty: MTN Dolling Out Millions To Select Newspapers For Support

$5.2b Penalty: MTN Dolling Out Millions To Select Newspapers For Support

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BEVERLY HILLS, November 04, (THEWILL) – Mobile telecommunications giant, MTN is allegedly dolling out millions of naira to influence some Nigerian newspapers as well as analysts to publish and speak in its favour against the $5.2 billion penalty imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), sources familiar with the development said Wednesday.

The sources said MTN is covertly funding the ‘blackmail machine’ against the regulator and the Nigerian government.

Some Nigerian newspapers and analysts have been unfairly hard on the NCC and the Nigerian government over the issue. Harsh front page stories urging authorities to rescind the penalty have been consistent in some of them.

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The NCC had placed a N200, 000 ($1, 000) fine on each unregistered cell phone line that was not disconnected.

MTN Group of South Africa, the owners of MTN Nigeria has seen its shares tumble by at least 20% in the Johannesburg bourse since the fine was imposed last week, following its failure to disconnect millions of unregistered cell phones lines even though it was given a deadline to do.

A recent Reuters’ report citing two sources said MTN had written a letter to the NCC apologizing for not disconnecting the lines and asked for leniency.

Giving details of the fine, NCC said the commission had consistently engaged Mobile Network Operators, (MNOs) to strictly adhere to the regulations and its business rules in the registration of their subscribers.

But despite all of these several engagements, the commission confirmed various cases of violations of the regulations against MTN and sanctioned appropriately.

MTN executives from South Africa are in Nigeria and are in talks with authorities over the matter.

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