We don’t want MTN to die but only Buhari can decide its fate, says minister

Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications, has expressed love for MTN in relation to the fine that the Nigerian authorities slammed on the telco, but he said the company’s fate would be determined by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In an interview with leading information technology news outlet, Technology Times, Shittu said, as an MTN subscriber, he does not want “to let go” of MTN which he regarded as “part and parcel of the Nigerian dream”.

“MTN has made very great strides. It has virtually or literally opened our eyes to telecommunication benefits. And so, we love MTN because MTN is part and parcel of the Nigerian dream,” he said.

“And, also there are thousands of Nigerians who earn their daily livelihoods. More importantly, I am a subscriber of MTN from day one that MTN came to Nigeria and I don’t want to dispense of it. So, we don’t want MTN to die.

“The issue is now before Mr President. He will take the necessary decision at the appropriate time. I think Nigerians will expect that Mr President would do the best to ensure that the public interest is guaranteed.”

He said the decision was not that of state governors to take, but the president, adding that it was good MTN admitted that it flouted regulations.

“The president will take the best decision. It is his responsibility, and in his wisdom, he will do what is right. Whether governors take a decision or not, laws have been established about how to deal with all of these decisions,” he said.

“The good thing is that MTN did not contest the fact that they had violated the regulations and guidelines. They never contested it. They admitted they were at fault.

“They apologised for their role in the saga and they made a commitment that what happened will never happen again. And of course, they made a plea for review of the payment terms.”

Shittu, who had earlier said the ball was in MTN’s court, added that the government has no conflicting stance on the issue at hand, but remains resolute in discouraging infractions.

“I don’t think there is any conflicting position on where government stands on the MTN issue. Recall that there were violations which were established against MTN.

“The violations were to the tune of five million. That’s a whole lot. There are many countries where subscribers, in the entire country, are not up to half of the five million.

“It’s not about the money itself. That is important. But it is about making sure that Nigerians appreciate that the era of impunity is over, and that questions will be asked for every infraction and that government will be firm, even if it will also be fair.”

He advised MTN to be more Nigerian, by going public on the Nigerian stock exchange.