Telecommunications giant, MTN is being forced to drop the artists signed on as brand ambassadors due to the huge fine levied on it by Nigerian Communications Commission.
The whopping fine of $3.2 Billion has made the company reconsider its sponsorship initiatives. For instance, it has cut Who Wants To Be A Millionaire which has been solely sponsored by MTN for years.
Davido, Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr. Sid, Sound Sultan, Banky W, KCee, Harrysong, Patience Ozokwor, Timaya and Sean Tizzle have all been relieved of their duties as brand ambassadors for the Telecoms company.
Another show under threat is Project Fame which has been responsible for discovering many talents in the Nigerian music industry.
The Nigerian Communications Commission fined MTN in October 2015 for failing to disconnect 5.2 million unregistered lines on their network. The NCC ordered the company to pay a fine of $1,000 per sim card, totally $5.2 billion but it was lowered to $3.2 billion.
The first installment of the fine ($254 million) was paid in December 2016 and the company has two more to go.