NCC Reduces MTN's Fine to N674 Billion and Dec 31st Deadline

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reduced the huge fine of N1.04 trillion it imposed on the MTN Nigeria, for failure to disconnect 5.2 million unregistered subscribers, to N674 billion. Hmmm!!


A request and several pleas from MTN had a hand in the reduction, according to a statement issued by the MTN Group. MTN now has December 31, 2015 deadline to pay up the fine or face more severe sanctions.

The MTN statement said: "MTN has received a formal letter dated 2 December 2015 from the NCC informing the company that, after considering the company's request, it has taken the decision to reduce the fine on the MTN Nigeria business from the original N1.4 trillion to N674 billion naira which has to be paid by 31 December 2015.

"The fine relates to the late disconnecting of 5.1 million MTN Nigeria subscribers in August and September 2015."

In the wake of the new developments, MTN Group has also effected a number of senior management changes for a more effective service delivery, even as the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr Mike Ikpoki and Head, Corporate Services Executive, Akinwale Goodluck have resigned with immediate effect.

MTN named Ferdi Moolman, the former CEO of the company's Iran unit and most recently the chief financial officer of MTN Nigeria, as head of the Lagos-based operations, replacing Michael Ikpoki, who resigned.

The statement said: "MTN Nigeria's CEO Michael Ikpoki and the head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Akinwale Goodluck have tendered their resignations with immediate effect. They are replaced by Ferdi Moolman as MTN Nigeria CEO and Amina Oyagbola as its head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs."

MTN is loosing customers faster than a basket placed under a running tap. The services has been awful recently, especially this SIM registration issue. So many people have dumped their lines, some disconnected even after registering and daily hundreds of customers crowd MTN offices for SIM registration... Is this the start of the fall of MTN??Can they rise again??