MTN has formally withdrawn its suit against the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, on Friday, confirmed this in a statement in Lagos that the telecom operator kept its promise to act in good faith and withdrew the case from the court.
Mooman said the withdrawal paved the way to continue settlement discussions with the Nigerian authorities towards an amicable resolution of the matter in the best interests of MTN and Nigeria.
“We have kept our promise to withdraw and we have followed through by formally doing so. This is in line with the premium we place on good corporate citizenship.
”The formal withdrawal today at the Federal High Court, with all parties in attendance, signals further progress in the negotiations between MTN Nigeria and the Nigerian authorities.
”This is another manifestation of good faith and intent by MTN Nigeria. We have confidence in the equally good intentions of the Nigerian authorities and the strength of our mutual commitment to an amicable resolution.
”The high priority that government is giving to the sustainability of the industry assures us of a truly integrated approach amongst all parties.
”This is towards the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a critical enabler of socio-economic development in Nigeria,” the statement, quoting Mr. Moolman, said.
MTN, had gone to court to challenge the Nigerian Communications Commission’s decision to impose a N780 billion fine on them, two weeks before the deadline for it to pay up.
NCC sanctioned MTN for refusing to remove over 5.1 million unregistered telephone subscribers from its network.
The commission fined MTN N1.04 trillion, but later reduced it by 25 per cent after amid pressure and with the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma.
