The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, yesterday, insisted that the four telecommunications operators, Globacom, MTN, Airtel and Etisalat it earlier sanctioned for poor service delivery must not only pay the N1.17 billion fine, but also the additional N2.5 million daily fine, respectively, for not meeting the payment deadline.
The Commission made its decision known to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, saying that the additional N2.5 million daily fine for non-compliance had already started counting from Friday.
It was gathered that before NCC’s decision, the meeting which the regulator had with top executive officers of the four sanctioned telecoms operators, who allegedly requested for a downward review of the fines, was deadlocked.
Addressing journalists after the meeting yesterday, NCC’s director of public affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, said the operators wanted NCC to review the sanctions but, “we refused, insisting that they must pay.
The commission would not enter into any further meeting with the operators until they pay the fines and the default penalty.”
He also warned that the N1.17 billion fines and the default penalty must be paid to NCC coffers and not to consumers, because it was not compensation.
He invoked the portion of NCC Act, which states that fines are paid to NCC while compensations are paid to consumers.
The regulator had on May 11 slammed MTN Nigeria and Etisalat Nigeria with a penalty of N360 million fines each, while Airtel Nigeria and Globacom, Nigeria’s Second National Operator, SNO, also got N270 million, and N180 million fine, respectively.
However, at the close of work on Friday May 25, when the deadline for payment elapsed, the mobile phone companies were yet to pay the fines, which attracted a fresh round of punitive fines pegged at N2.5 million per day for defaulting.
NCC has, however, said that failing to pay up on Friday meant that the defaulting fines immediately began to count in addition to the main penalty. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Dis punitiv measures wil turn around 2 afect d mases
ReplyDeleteOperators dont't pay any money to NCC until they tell us the consumers how that money will be used to improve the quality. It's another round of corruption that's about to be kicked off! If they have nothing to do as usual let them compare DsTV to start charging 'pay per view' as it does in South Africa. The exploitation from DsTV where u subscribe & whether PHCN/NEPA allow u to use it or not it expires by the of the month is more painful!
ReplyDeletea fine paid to NCC? how will that compensate the customers that have suffered the poor service. this is just a revenue generating exercise.
ReplyDeleteOperators please if you pay this fines I'd choose to use visat to access internet and Land lines for calls rather than recharging my line again. In this you've been running several series of promo, inwhich in each of them I've spent nothing less than N50,000.00 and I've not won a kobo from you people, now you want to pay back my money to the rich bastards who are using office telephones or land lines to make their daily calls and their Ipad for writting letters/minutes of their multi billion naira meetings. Let me come out plain that if you people pay I would never be happy with any of the mobile operators in this country. NCC What is fines and compensation because I'm the one suffering inwhich compensation is the right word to use here and not fine as the penalty is due to poor service delivery. Please leaders stop corruption now or corruption would stop you. I'm ready for a change and for operation flush out corruption in this country at any moment.
ReplyDelete