The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu has revealed that it is not the intention of Nigeria for the telecom service provider, MTN Nigeria to quit the country because of the $5.2 billion fine imposed on it last month.
Shittu, in an interview with Reuters on Friday, said, “A judgment has been given, as it were, and the period for enforcement has not yet passed.”
The deadline for paying falls on Monday with little clarity as to whether the South Africa-listed company can or will pay the fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, for failing to deactivate 5.2 million unregistered SIM cards.
Stressing that the fine should not jeopardise the company’s future in Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy, Shittu said, “Nobody wants MTN to die. Nobody wants MTN to shut down.”
When asked to comment on the progress of the talks between the company’s top executives and Nigeria, he said there was “nothing before me.
“If any new thing would happen, there must be initiative from concerned quarters. It is up to MTN,” he said.
When asked about the consequences of non-payment, Shittu said the law would be followed. He did not give details but insisted: “We don’t want them to leave.”
Speaking about his plans for the sector, Shittu said telecoms were key to helping President Muhammadu Buhari’s goal of diversifying the economy away from oil.
The Communications Minister thus noted that telecoms provided a quicker avenue for new growth than agriculture, another sector the government wants to expand.
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