The tribunal’s chairperson, Saratu Shafii, stipulated that the order, dated April 29, 2024, must also be posted on MultiChoice’s recognized email address.
By Nydra Ayibapreye
The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal in Abuja has directed that its temporary injunction, preventing MultiChoice Nigeria Limited from raising the DSTV tariff, be displayed prominently at the company’s corporate headquarters and all known branches across Nigeria.
The tribunal’s chairperson, Saratu Shafii, stipulated that the order, dated April 29, 2024, must also be posted on MultiChoice’s recognized email address, social media platforms, and any other publicly accessible communication channels.
This injunction, granted in response to a petition from Abuja-based lawyer Festus Onifade, halts MultiChoice’s planned tariff increase on its DStv and Gotv packages, set to take effect from May 1. Onifade requested a temporary injunction to prevent MultiChoice from implementing the price hike until the tribunal hears and decides on the matter.
Consequently, the tribunal issued an order prohibiting MultiChoice from raising its tariffs and the cost of its products and services as planned for May 1.
The company was prevented from implementing its intended price increase until the tribunal concludes the hearing and resolves the pending motion. Nevertheless, when attempts were made to serve Multi-Choice, the process server claimed that personnel at the company’s Abuja office declined to accept the order and other legal documents.
According to the process server, a senior manager at the Abuja office refused to accept the documents and instructed that they be sent to the Lagos headquarters instead.
In response to this feedback, the tribunal issued a substituted service order on MultiChoice, in accordance with Section 48 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, and Part N, Order 14 Rule 11(1) of the CCPT Rule, 2021.
In the officially certified substituted service order, chaired by Shaffi, it was directed that the ex-parte order in case number: CCPT/OP/2/2024, be displayed at MultiChoice Nigeria Limited’s corporate headquarters or any known branches across Nigeria.
Additionally, it was ordered that the documents be forwarded to the company’s recognized email address, social media platforms, and any other publicly accessible communication channels for Multi-Choice, and also be displayed in the CCPT communication outlet.
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