Environmental Group Condemns Buhari’s Interference With NCC’S Job

By Alltimepost.com

President Muhammadu Buhar’s alleged interference with the job of the Nigerian Communications Commission, resulting in the reduction in a fine of $5.2 billion imposed on MTN to $3.2billion has been condemned by the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice.

MTN had been sanctioned by the commission for failure to deactivate 52 million lines on its network and was ordered to pay up the fine by November, 2015.

The frontline environmental group in Nigeria was reacting to a report published by the Guardian Newspaper on Friday December 4 to the effect that the fine was slashed, based on instruction and involvement of the Presidency.

A statement signed recently by the organization’s Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor recalled that in October 2015, MTN was found to have contravened an NCC order and was fined accordingly and asked to pay up by November 2015.

According to the statement, there were indications that MTN would not pay up and that the NCC was likely to wield the big stick. “However, the rumor mills were awash with insinuations attributable to very senior members of the administration that there were going to be underhand and untoward methods like the intervention of Mr. President to resolve the problem.”

“ANEEJ believes that if the Nigerian Communications Commission is the independent National Regulatory Authority for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, and if the Commission is responsible for creating an enabling environment for competition among operators in the industry as well as ensuring the provision of qualitative and efficient telecommunications services throughout the country, then it would amount to an abuse of the vision and mission of the Commission’s mandate if other methods apart from the extant laws guiding the operation of the regulatory body are followed in this wise,” ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor said.

He noted that the company has well over 200 million customers in Africa and the Middle East, adding that in Nigeria, MTN has more than 50million subscribers and is considered Nigeria’s biggest mobile network.

“It has a reporting structure in three regions: West and Central Africa (WECA), South and East Africa (SEA), and Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Nigerian subscribers report a wave of complaints against the service provider. Involvement of the Presidency in reducing the fine-slash can be mis-read as a stamp of MTN’s poor services that Nigerians have often complained about,” he warned.

“ANEEJ calls on the Presidency to rescind all further interference in the framework of operations prevalent in Nigeria’s institutions so as to nip the culture of impunity in the bud,” Ugolor added.