By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday, told the House of Representatives Committee investigating the alleged unlawful reduction of the N1.04 trillion fine imposed on South African Telecommunication network provider, MTN, to N330 billion that the deal was a settled matter as it received the blessings of the highest level of government.

MTN-Office

This came as the House Committee on Communications summoned the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, and the Executive Vice Secretary of the National Communications Commission,   Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, to appear before it next Monday to explain circumstances surrounding the new agreement of N330 billion, instead of the initial fine of N1.04 trillion imposed on MTN.

The House also said it rejected the new deal between the Federal Government and the MTN as it was a blow on the fiscal stability of the country.

Meanwhile, a member of the Committee, Johnson Agbonayinma, who represents Egor/Ikpoba Okha Federal Constituency of Edo State, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, walked out on the committee over alleged disrespect of the Minister of Communications, Shittu Adebayo, to the National Assembly.

Agbonayinma also alleged that with what government had accepted, it was obvious that the telecommunications giant, MTN, had decided and imposed on the country what to pay.

Telling the House Committee that the matter was a settled deal, the Minister of Communications, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sony Echanu, stated:  “I am in a position to confirm to the honourable committee that government has approved the sum of N330 billion as full and final settlement imposed as fine by the NCC.

But before the arrival of the Permanent Secretary, which was about one hour behind the scheduled time, Agbonayinma had called on his colleagues to postpone the sitting because neither the Minister nor the Executive Vice Chairman of National Communications Commission, NCC, that imposed the fine on MTN for defaulting on SIM card registration was present.

But as his advice was not heeded to by the other members of the committee, the Edo-born lawmaker decided to stage a walke-out.

However, when the Permanent Secretary arrived to join the Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Tony Ojobo, who had initially told the committee that he did not have the formal permission of the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC to represent him at the meeting, the meeting commenced.

Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Saheed Fijabi, said  the committee required to be fully availed of all documentary explanations ex-ante, regarding the agreement.

He said:   “This decision had generated immense negative perception in the last 72 hours, a major concern with respect to the dictates of Section 7, First Schedule, Nigerian Communication Act, 2003.

“Nigerians had expressed immense worry over this development. The public had inundated this committee with petitions and terse outburst, regarding the basis for NCC’s further unilateral action.’ “Most Nigerians feel that this situation carries serious implications of moral hazards, contagion and domino effects. Economic agents say  it presents a damaging blow to the fiscal and monetary stability of the Nigerian federation.