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 Daily Independent Online.
* Friday,July 16, 2004.
NCC
hammer dangles on MTN over
recharge cards
• As MTN snubs Senate
committee invitation
By Adetutu
Folasade-Koyi
and Chesa Chesa
National Assembly Correspondets, Abuja
MTN
may soon come under the hammer of the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC) over the prolonged scarcity of its recharge cards. The prized
plastic sheets with numbers enable its customers use their handsets after
the digits are keyed-in for additional credits.
Besides, the
lingering face-off between MTN and the Department of Customs is far from
over with the Customs insisting that the GSM provider pay up its
outstanding debt.
To add to the
furore, it has declined an invitation from the Senate Commerce Committee
to discuss the price rise in its cards.
NCC Chairman
Ernest Ndukwe told a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday that the
hammer will fall on MTN once investigations are concluded. The meeting
was held at the instance of the committee.
“We will impose
some sanctions on MTN when we finish our investigations. There are three
million cards awaiting clearance at the port. There is no doubt that MTN
is culpable on this issue. As a quick solution, release the cards, but I
am not saying that they should not pay what they owe”, said Ndukwe.
A new caveat was
added to the release of the cards to MTN as committee member Sani Kamba
proposed that MTN should issue a N1 billion bank indemnity to the Customs
before they are released.
Ndukwe agreed
with the proposal, saying: “Nigerians cannot afford to buy more than the
face-value of the recharge cards. It seems MTN is trying to force some
Nigerians off its network”.
The committee’s
invitation to the GSM provider was dated July 13. Declining to honour it,
MTN General Manager (Legal and Regulatory) Michael Ikpoki wrote: “MTN has
been regularly updating the NCC and the Senate committee on
communications on its efforts towards redressing this issue.
“MTN has
provided all the relevant documents on this issue to the Ministry of
Communications and would request that any concerns on issues on this
subject may be directed to this committee for its kind attention”.
The meeting was
held on Thursday, and it was the second time MTN had shunned such a
stakeholders’ parley convened by the committee. Ironically, the panel has
brokered an arrangement with the Customs over its debt.
Only Ndukwe and
a representative of the Customs comptroller general, Julius Nwagwu,
re-appeared before the committee at the re-scheduled meeting held at 4
p.m.
It was held
after a private one with the Customs comptroller general who, according
to committee Chairman Ibikunle Amosun, had agreed to “fast-track the
release of the seized recharge cards to MTN”, provided it issues a cheque
by Friday to cover its remaining debt.
By Thursday
morning, Nwagwu told the committee, MTN had paid the outstanding debt but
the Customs would not release the new consignment until all debts are
cleared up.
When it became
obvious that MTN would not show up, Amosu briefed those present, saying:
“We cannot keep waiting. They do not deserve what we are doing. We are
only doing this on behalf of Nigerians”.
He later told
newsmen: “At the meeting, it was agreed that if MTN is ready to write a
cheque, the Customs is ready to fast-track the release of the cards while
the official processing could come later,” to which Nwagwu interjected,
“let the people know that MTN is owing.” Amosun replied that MTN’s
indebtedness to the Customs is “clear, that is not in doubt.”
Ndukwe explained
that the concession enjoyed by MTN is also accorded other GSM providers
all of which pay within an agreed period, except MTN which abuses the
facility, “and that was why it
was withdrawn”. It made the Customs to insist on doing business with
MTN only on a cash and carry basis.
Committee member Saidu
Dansadau said MTN’s refusal to honour the invitation would soon be
addressed. “The committee
will sit at a later date and we will invite them,” he said.
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