Buhari orders re-negotiation of $3.9 billion fine imposed on MTN

Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a renegotiation of the $3.9 billion fine imposed on MTN for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria.

Buhari orders re-negotiation of MTN’s N780bn fine https://t.co/rVdmdCbUCR via todayng pic.twitter.com/7bI8yjBVoj

— Nigeria Newsdesk (NigeriaNewsdesk) March 9, 2016

Buhari gave the order at a joint news conference with South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma who was in Nigeria on an official visit.

Buhari added that the reluctance of MTN to register all subscribers’ lines within the deadline, was the reason for the sanction imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

MTN is partly to blame for the rise of Boko Haram, Nigera’s Buhari says https://t.co/eES1O4HyX6

— Rebecca Enonchong (@africatechie) March 9, 2016

The West African head said the concern of the government was not necessarily the fine, but security of lives and protection of people’s property.

“You know how the unregistered GSM lines were used by terrorists and between 2009 and today, at least 10,000 Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram,” Buhari said.

South African President Jacob Zuma was in Nigeria for a two day stay visit which is seen as an attempt to improve soured relations between the two economic giants.

Government officials said over 30 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding, ranging from trade, industry and transport, among others, were signed between both countries.