MTN May Not Pay The N1.04TRN Fine Today

There are indications that telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria may not meet up with today’s deadline on payment of the N1.04trn fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.

This is as a source at the NCC confirmed that the telecommunications company was yet to pay as at yesterday night.

However, there is the likelihood the operator may escape further sanctions as the regulator may have succumbed to its consistent plea for a staggered payment option.

The telecommunications giant had not paid as at Sunday night but may not be sanctioned because NCC was considering granting its plea of staggered payment over a year or two.

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He said: “What I can tell you now is that MTN has not paid as at today and may not likely pay because its officials have been begging for extension of the date and the payment to be granted in a staggered form. To be honest, we are considering that and may grant them one or two years to finish the payment. But what they may not get is a reduction on the fine.”

He also revealed that the regulator was going to issue a statement to this effect this morning before 11.00 am.

Recall that even the newly appointed Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu at the weekend had said that Nigeria did not want MTN Nigeria to quit the country because of the fine but insisted that the fine must be paid.

He however quipped that “a judgment has been given, as it were, and the period for enforcement has not yet passed”

The regulator, penultimate week, imposed a fine of $5.2bn on the operator for allegedly failing to disconnect subscribers with improper registration on its network.

Since then, MTN has been appealing for the regulator to grant leniency and have the payment staggered so it would be easy for it to pay.

The Commission said last week, it received a letter from the telecommunications company, apologizing for wrong doing and pleading for leniency.