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Group faults calls for non- intervention of Buhari on MTN’s fine

By Editor
02 December 2015   |   1:21 am
AN Abuja-based group, The Leaders Institute, has insisted on the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, on the fine slammed on MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for contravening regulatory orders.
Buhari

Buhari

AN Abuja-based group, The Leaders Institute, has insisted on the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, on the fine slammed on MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for contravening regulatory orders.

The group, through its Executive Director, Tajudeen Kareem, in a statement, reacted to a report, credited to one Reverend Ugolor Aneej, who functions as an Executive Director of a Non-Governmental Organisation—The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, who said President Buhari, should not be dragged into MTN Fine controversy.

It will be recalled that last week in Lagos, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, had said that President Buhari will determine MTN’s fate at the appropriate time in ‘Public Interest’.

Kareem assumed that Ugolor was clearly uninformed and quite hasty in criticizing the minister of Communications regarding his views on the fine imposed by the NCC on MTN for violating extant rules.

The Leaders Institute Executive Director quoted Ugolor as saying “we condemn the Minister for misleading the President to want to interfere on the issue of MTN fine.”

Kareem therefore asked Ugolor if he was aware that the fine was imposed on MTN on October 27, 2015; that ministers were inaugurated on November 11, 2015 –two clear weeks after the hammer had fallen on MTN?; that the NCC – MTN tango predated the assumption of office of the minister; aware that the Presidency had been approached by MTN to intervene before the Minister assumed office.

According to Kareem, flowing from the above, it is mere common sense for the minister to await the outcome of earlier intervention process initiated by the MTN through the NCC.

“Since Rev. Ugolor is not privy to the processes within the government, his comments are at best in bad taste. His motive is suspect. His language is uncouth and impolite. How can he, in all fair sense, advise President Buhari not to interfere on a matter of such magnitude? Certainly, the payment of a huge fine as $5.2 billion is not a routine affair to be left in the hands of NCC alone. Rev. Ugolor did not get his logic right”, he stated.

3 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    A fine of that magnitude (25% of the Nation’s 2016 budget) definitely requires the intervention of the president.

  • Author’s gravatar

    No! This does not require intervention by the President. We should build our institutions and not personalities. If MTN was fined by the USA, the South African president would not dare to suggest discussing the fine with the US President. If NCC imposed the fine, they should be allowed to manage the process. Bringing the President into this suggests that in Nigeria the laws are not to be obeyed.