Adenuga in Dilenma As NCC Bars Glo Customers’ Calls On MTN Lines Over Indebtedness

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced the commencement of disconnection of Globacom from MTN Nigeria Communicztions Plc (MTN).

The NCC in a public notice signed by its Director, Public Affairs Department, Reuben Muoka, released on Monday, stated that the action followed the failure by Globacom in settling a backlog of interconnect charges.

“Globcom was notified of the application made by MTN and was given opportunity to commence and state its case. The Commission having examined the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, determined that Globacom does not have sufficient or justifiable reason for non-payment of the inter-connect charges,” the NCC stated in the notice.

The communications regulator informed the Globacom subscribers of its approval of partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN in accordance with relevant sections of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

“At the expiration of 10 (ten) days from the expiration of this notice, subscribers of Globacom will no longer be able to make calls to MTN, but will be able to receive calls .

“The partial disconnection will, however, allow in-bound calls to Globacom network,” the NCC stated, adding that the disconnection will subsist until otherwise determined by the Commission.

THEWILL recalls that the founder and Chairman of Globacom, Chief Mike Adenuga, has been under pressure in recent times following the apparent shrink of fortune and his drastic drop on the billionaires list.

Chief Adenuga, hurriedly paid N154 billion to the Nigerian government in October 2023, which was part of the spectrum license renewal fees for the company after the media exposed how the company owed about N200 billion and was covered by the immediate past NCC boss, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.

The partial settlement was made after the election of President Bola Tinubu following signals that a change of leadership was imminent at NCC.

The NCC had, before then, suspended its regulatory services to Globacom on account of the huge debt.

The NCC later announced that it had restored regulatory services to Globacom after it successfully cleared its outstanding debt obligations to the Commission for unpaid spectrum fees, numbering fees, and Annual Operating Levy (AOL)

The Commission further disclosed that it had stepped down planned enforcement action against Globacom over its breach of extant regulations by failing to pay its despite several demand notices.

The Commission had temporarily withdrawn the suspension of regulatory services to Globacom in a letter dated May 22, 2023, titled “Re: Continuous Breach of Commission’s Laws and Regulations.”

The suspension of regulatory services to Globacom was automatically reinstated after it failed to meet the conditions for the earlier withdrawn.