MTN and Airtel risk heavy sanctions over failure to honour Reps invitation.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the House of Representatives Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, on Tuesday, June 25, threatened to issue warrants of arrest for telecom companies MTN and Airtel for failing to honour its invitation.
This Nigeria news platform understands that during a public hearing on a bill to regulate corporate social responsibility in Nigeria, Hon. Lillian Orogbu expressed regret that some companies have repeatedly violated the law, emphasizing the need for appropriate punishment.
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She also said that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN, and Airtel have consistently ignored the invitation of the committee hence the need to invoke its powers by issuing a warrant of arrest.
She said: “Section 89, 8 of the Constitution mandates individual companies as invited to make themselves available to parliament but they break the law and I want to tell you Sir, MTN Airtel they take so much from our nation and they feel too big to appear before the parliament we will not tolerate that.
“I want you as a regulatory body to organize those telecommunication companies where they will be meeting between this parliament and the telecommunication, we gave them the powers to operate in Nigeria so to refuse to honour the invitation of the parliament is a no, no, we take exception to it. The parliament is frowning at it and this is an opportunity to say clearly.
“If MTN is here and I have taken all friendly measures to make them understand the need to appear before the parliament but they have refused. If you feel you are responsible then you should appear before the parliament, we want you to be responsible and accountable they operate across the country and they have disrespected the same nation by not housing our invitation.
“We want the committee to be socially responsible. If you are providing any social responsibility let us know what you are doing, all we want to know is what you are doing. We are not here to hunt any company.
“As a public affairs representative of NCC please reach out to these telecompanies and tell them to make themselves available, if they disrespect the parliament it doesn’t indicate in anywhere that they are responsible.
“Other companies show up, give account and we even go on oversight but NCC is one company that has given us problems insisting that they are in court that is not acceptable”.
In his presentation before the committee, a representative of the Central Bank, Wondi Ndanusa said that the CBN was in support of the bill, but raised concerns on the proposed penalty of imprisonment to defaulting companies.
He suggested that rather than the penalty, it should be persuasive because many companies are faced with a lot of financial burdens and responsibilities.
Declaring the hearing open, the Speaker of the House who was represented by the leader, Julius Ihobvere emphasized that the success of the legislative process is dependent on public response and contribution to the public hearing.
He called on stockholders to make meaningful contributions that will make the bill a reality.
“Public hearing is part of our legislative process to engage the citizens in lawmaking, especially because the proposed law has impacts to make on the people. Your robust ideas and expected contribution to the discourse will no doubt shape the outcome of this meeting.”
