Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, in a statement on website Technology Times revealed that the final decision regarding the $5.2 billion fine imposed MTN Nigeria by Communication Commission (NCC) will be taken by Nigeria’s head of state Muhammadu Buhari. Negotiations between MTN and Nigerian authorities to find a solution to the issue have been going on since the beginning of November.

At the Alliance 4 Affordable Internet Nigeria Coalition conference on 24 November 2015, Adebayo Shittu said the president would take this decision at the appropriate time and do what is best for the “public interest”. The Minister denied all rumors of conflict within government concerning the fine. He recalled that the penalty arose after it has been clearly established that MTN violated the regulation in place. The penalty was defined in accordance to MTN’s violations. “The violations were to the tune of five million subscribers. That is a lot,” affirmed Adebayo Shittu.

Though the penalty imposed to MTN Nigeria endangers its existence, Adebayo Shittu emphasized that “nobody wants MTN gone or dead”.