The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has fined owners of DSTV, GOTV, Multichoice Nigeria, ₦150 million for disputing the court’s jurisdiction, and ordered the company to provide Nigerians with a one-month free subscription to its subscribers.
A three-man panel led by Thomas Okusu gave the verdict today, after it had previously blocked Multichoice from raising subscription fees without proper notice, based on a lawsuit by Barrister Festus Onifade who claimed the eight-day notice given for the price increase was inadequate.
Multichoice disregarded the order of the court, challenging its jurisdiction while going ahead to implement its new tariff in May.
Counsel for Multichoice had contended that previous rulings had settled price regulation issues, while Onifade focused on the inadequate notice rather than the price hike itself, prompting the tribunal to affirm its jurisdiction and rule against Multichoice.
The court subsequently fixed July 3 for a hearing of the plaintiff’s substantive suit.
