Dear Nigerians, each time I read comments regarding this MTN penalty madness by NCC, I end up wondering if most of the comments were just for fun or realistic opinion of the commentators both on Nairaland and other top social sites. The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC slammed a N1.4 trillion penalty on MTN Nigeria for failure to disconnect customers with unregistered SIM cards. That fine is outrageous please! We have to stop the sentiments. I don't see MTN paying that huge amount of money. They have given reasons why they were reluctant with the SIM card deactivation thing which I believe is credible and reasonable enough.

We should not forget that MTN has the largest data base of users in Nigeria and they care so much about their customers more than the unfriendly policy.
They wanted a gradual process to the issue which favoured their customers more. Trust most Nigerians, registration of our SIM has always been an issue because of our 'attitudes'. MTN even called some customers, pleaded on many of them and even used free bonuses to encourage subscribers to register and update their SIM but many still refused. That's how we roll in Nigeria Now, deactivating those SIMs would have resulted to severe difficulties for users who had genuine reasons for their inability to update their account.
Yes, MTN violated the law but justice can be tampered with mercy. MTN has done so much for this country: from infrastructural development to massive man power empowerment and development. From educational development to massive entertainment industry boost, in summary, MTN corporate social responsibility programmes are highly commendable and among the best in this country. MTN has changed lives in this country: many people can pay their bills because of this same company. MTN has done so much for us and should be respected please.Their (MTN) investments in the telecom sector have affected other telecom giants positively. This embarrassment against MTN should stop please. MTN is not like all these Indian and Lebanese companies that reserve most juicy management positions for their own citizens only, MTN pays their direct workers (Nigerians) very well unlike most of these foreign companies operating in Nigeria i.e ISON BPO. Top management players in MTN Nigeria are Nigerians. I strongly believe they should be respected and the large data
base and services the company operates here in Nigeria should be considered too. It's not easy to adhere to such rule while having such data base like that of MTN.
For those calling for MTN to leave
I laugh in Chinese and Zulu Yes, if MTN leaves Nigeria, it will surely affect the company heavily but we will suffer it more. Our economy will suffer and unemployment will rise. You are calling on Nigerians to port to Glo and others: wait until any of these telecom companies handle the number of subscribers MTN is currently handling, then you will appreciate MTN better...I can bet you, many of them will collapse! They will not be able to handle such huge traffic.
Those of you calling MTN names
Can you count how many times you have cheated MTN to browse for free? Do you think the infrastructures used for internet services are bought for free? Do you think it is easy to maintain a business in the Nigerian environment with poor power and transportation sectors? Think again please! Don't ever forget that you benefit from MTN directly or indirectly. For those of you crying about MTN promo, did MTN force you into any promo? And most of us don't read terms and conditions of these services and promo from MTN and others.
MTN does not force you to subscribe to any of her services. Yeah, some marketing strategies are deployed to lure customers into certain services but it's still left for you to opt-in and opt-out. I can beat my chest to say that since 2009 I started using MTN line, I have never experienced any reason to accuse them of stealing. I rather say thank you to MTN than accuse MTN of stealing from me. Subscribers make the mistake of subscribing for one service or the other and finally accuse MTN of stealing from them. Some subscribers leave their app running on the background while their airtime gets deducted and they blame it on MTN. You're asking DSTV to leave as if it is DSTV that's working against an indigenous company from doing well in the same market. We complain about MTN and we still don't want to leave them, why? Other telecom companies should compete well with MTN or is it MTN that prevented Glo from taking over other African countries? MTN remains the best network in Nigeria and Africa, take it or leave it. The company should be respected and appreciated too. At least, they accepted to invest in the Nigerian telecom industry back then when other companies where shying away from Nigeria. They made the sector attractive. They made the industry lucrative, they believed in Nigeria when others didn't. I love MTN with my whole heart. Please, we should empathize with them instead of slamming them.
http://iamkingsleyokoro..com.ng/2015/10/ncc-fines-mtn-nigeria.html

Hmmn, quite thoughtful.
I also think in the same direction cos the reason they gave is to the interest of Nigerians and we Nigerians still prefer to slam them.

I believe we Nigerians have lost our sense of reasoning, I know MTN broke the law and all, but then, they don't deserve that amount of fine.

I know a couple of projects this same MTN has done to improve lives for Nigerians, but no, it doesn't mean Shit anymore.

It's the same people ranting here that did not comply when asked to register. Hypocrisy won't let Nigeria move forward.

It's now a payback time for mtn for all the ripoff on Nigerians.

Op, i do dig your point of view n as someone who likes been opened minded about issues, i applaud u for some cogent points mentioned.

Just a quick question though: why have they been flaunting directives since 2009?
There is no directive ncc wud pass across they wud willingly obey. Is it because itz now getting into their head that they r major players in nigerian telco n contributes to d gdp , They now feel we need them more than they need us? They want to b treated like sacred cows just like our politicians? Huh?

Nobody is above the law, if they must continue operation here, they have to abide by ncc directives.

Well, i believe d op has done a great justices bt u hv 2 undastand dt where MTN are 2day is as a result of nigerians.

Oma307:
Well, i believe d op has done a great justices bt u hv 2 undastand dt where MTN are 2day is as a result of nigerians.

thanks bro and also where we are today in the telecom industry is as a result of MTN

Yea, dts true bt i find it very difficult 2 drop ma Mtn simcard despite sumtym exhibiting silly tins by deducting ma airtym. I always celebrate dem

Princedapace:


thanks bro and also where we are today in the telecom industry is as a result of MTN

This is another reason why Nigeria has not moved forward.

@ OP and co-travellers, are you doing a PR job for MTN or looking for patronage on your blog site?

Is MTN the only Telco in Nigeria? Why does it willfully defy every directive from the regulatory agency?

If you care to know, all the telcos are aware that a fine of 200k for a single line is payable by any Telco which fails to update its subscribers database.

Did MTN claim to be unaware of this?

Did you know that the same MTN is currently being investigated for tax evasion in some African countries including Nigeria?
Yes, it has consistently been shipping a larger chunk of its profit to nonexistent shell companies in UAE and Mauritius.

I don't even want to drag you into details but the CSR it does which you have applauded actually is for its benefits. Yes, companies get tax reliefs for doing CSR.
It is all business kiddo and not charity.

Lastly, if MTN decides to move, it wouldn't definitely move its base stations and other infrastructure, it will simply sell it which is a win situation for Nigeria as the investors will pump in money into the economy.

ABEG MAKE WE HEAR WORD THEY AV EXTORTED US ENOUGH THEY AV MADE ALOT FROM US;YET WE DONT COMPLAIN

pls spare me all d sermon where were u wen mtn were busy extorting subscribers all thanks to lack of competitors, nd who tells u they r complaining of nt making enough profit still. it's no point trying to sympathize with them let them pay their fine nd move on after all they were aware of the implications of not adhering to d directives, or they assume they are untouchable or do they take glo nd d rest for fools for disconnecting subscribers lines not properly registered. Nonsense!

Yeah I feel so sorry for them, my old mtn sim got damaged when I tried to change it to microsim and since then I havent gone to replace it.

I wish I could help them, they have helped a lot of Nigerians too. Its unfair to treat them this way.

This is a poor attempt at being an MTN apologetic. See, the law is the law and it must stand unwavering to maintain order and protect the integrity of the business environment in this case. Nigeria should not be a free-for-all where anything goes, if MTN have carelessly (and selfishly) chosen to disregard us, I see nothing wrong in scapegoating them to serve as a deterrent to others.
As for who gains from who...the converse is the case. Nigeria has helped MTN immensely to be the giant it is today. Abi we no dey pay for their services again? They never even employ enough with the huge gains they rake in annually. Do they have this kind of market elsewhere in the world? So why can't they just respect our laws and peoples?
If they leave today, I can bet you there will be others to take their place. In fact, the fine should be used to rejuvenate Nitel to provide us with cheaper and better service.

HARDDON:
Op, i do dig your point of view n as someone who likes been opened minded about issues, i applaud u for some cogent points mentioned.

Just a quick question though: why have they been flaunting directives since 2009?
There is no directive ncc wud pass across they wud willingly obey. Is it because itz now getting into their head that they r major players in nigerian telco n comtributes to d gdp . They now feel we need them more than they need us? They want to b treated like sacred cows just like our politicians? Huh?

Nobody is above the law, if they must continue operation here, they have to abide by ncc directives.

Which use.less NCC? You think those people care about Nigerians? Abeg leave those useless people out of this....

Not with my #50 that was deducted today without my permission and subscribing me to an alert I didn't subscribe for, I don't feel for them at all...

udemzy101:



Which use.less NCC? You think those people care about Nigerians? Abeg leave those useless people out of this....

Yea i know they, as well as all political office holders, dont and i also know some of the directives r whack but the truth is, they represent d country Nigeria n flaunting their directives when every other telco company obey same, tells of nothing but an outright disrespect to the country on which they trade.

It is a slap on the face of Nigeria and Nigerians. What they would do in their country n get shut down, they shldnt do here!

So whether ncc has our love at heart or not, we hold strong, Mtn follow rules

HARDDON:


Yea i know they, as well as all political office holders, dont and i also know some of the directives r whack but the truth is, they represent d country Nigeria n flaunting their directives when every other telco company obey same, tells of nothing but an outright disrespect to the country on which they trade.

It is a slap on the face of Nigeria and Nigerians. What they would do in their country n get shut down, they shldnt do here!

So whether ncc has our love at heart or not, we hold strong, Mtn follow rules

NCC is a joke Bro

Op, you are speaking on your own behalf, take it or leave it, MTN is dubious, I'm not in support of the hefty fine nor am i against it, MTN will still charge you for their own promotional songs as callertunz, the first sim card i ever used was Celtel now (Airtel) but later changed to MTN because they were good then, but MTN soon took advantage of Nigerians because of our bad Governance, knowing fully well that there is nobody to put them in check, just compare the call tariffs and data plans given to Nigerians to that of other countries. The deal is Nigerians are finally happy that at last somebody is finally standing up for them, nobody has ever asked what NCC will use the money to do, and don't be deceived by numbers, an average phone using Nigerian has one or two registered and useless MTN sim card, i have two myself that i have not used for more than two months now, because i couldn't keep up with their impunity anymore, talk about false alerts and useless messages from Isaiah4vs19. The quality of network services depend on locations, so you can't say MTN is the best everywhere, I like class and quality that's why I'm using GlO NG now, same with my room mate who has seven registered and useless MTN sim cards ( no hyperbole) .MTN has the largest subscribers base no doubt but when you deduct the numbers of their registered and useless sim cards then you will realise it's not by a large margin compared to other network providers like the paper will make you believe.

I just wan sit on d fence for this matter but when I remember how they have been cunningly deducting 20 naira daily for one Zombie package i didn't subscribe for, then I'm gonna tell them to go to hell.

@op. how much mtn pay u to post this pity story? mtn have reap nigeria enough

MTN grossly disrespected the directives of the NCC and they must pay the penalty for that. They impoverished Nigerians when they first came to Nigeria. How could they sell one SIM card for #30,000? As if that wasn't enough, you gat to recharge #1,500 every 2 weeks whether you make calls or not. As if that still wasn't enough, they told us per second billing wasn't possible then but as
soon as GLO came and gave us per second billing, MTN remembered it was possible. This is the time for payback! I wish Nigerians will directly reap from this sanction
OP, I guess you were not yet born when all these history I gave happened

To say the truth #1.4 tr is a huge amount to pay. But the question to ask Mtn is that 'are they not aware of the fine ?'
they claim they don't deactivate for the interest of Nigerian. Are they not ware of the security challenge in this country where many people were killed everyday by Boko-haram, majority were kidnapped on a daily basis. Those kidnerpper make use of mobile phone to negotiate for their abductor. How can they track the offender without proper record ? Mtn should abide by the rule. The question will have to ask ourself is that are
'are they the only operator in this country ?'
'Is people using Airtel, glo and etisalat not Nigeria ?'

Too much English will not get you anywhere. How about Etisalat and others that deactivated their customers lines? So you don't love them too?

[size=20pt]@OP, are you MTN's chief wailer?

[/size] my thought:

The outrageous sum meted out to MTN as penalty for not acceding to NCC's earlier directive will negatively have an impact on the employees. Salaries will be delayed . So you're now here in guise of a "Nairalander" to seek for sympathy from Nigerians. Anyways, it's payback time

By the way, I hope you're not the person behind those unnecessary messages I do get from MTN because if you are, then that's double trouble for you my friend

LieDetector:
[size=20pt]@OP, are you MTN's chief wailer?

[/size] my thought:

The outrageous sum meted out to MTN as penalty for not acceding to NCC's earlier directive will negatively have an impact on the employees. Salaries will be delayed . So you're now here in guise of a "Nairalander" to seek for sympathy from Nigerians. Anyways, it's payback time

By the way, I hope you're not the person behind those unnecessary messages I do get from MTN because if you are, then that's double trouble for you my friend

lolxx

MTN has duped me so many times. This is the gods using the ogas on top to fight for us.

I am happy about the fine.......the bad news was that we Nigerians will be the one to pay the fine indirectly.
100naira has already been deducted from my MTN sim account today without subscribing for any package. MTN is really a dubious network. I want NCC to look into the illegal deduction of money from MTN.

Enahi:
Yeah I feel so sorry for them, my old mtn sim got damaged when I tried to change it to microsim and since then I havent gone to replace it.

I wish I could help them, they have helped a lot of Nigerians too. Its unfair to treat them this way.

You got me laughing, I know how you feel though. Just like my ex, she could offer the devil a helping hand in the name of pity. Don't feel for mtn, its only a symbiotic relationship ( I think they are even like parasites). Have you noticed how calm and setled your uncle or aunty sound whenever they call you from UK or US, compare with our local calls- its a rip-off. I won't celebrate or pity MTN.

Paid post.

Oga u de find work 4 MTN? be there deceiving yourself, they must pay.