Sim re-registration: Government punishing Ghanaians for its failure to synchronise data - Minority leader

The leader of the minority caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has berated the government over its handling of the SIM registration exercise.

He accused the government of unduly punishing Ghanaians by blocking their SIM cards and making them join longs queue for something it could have simply done with proper coordination.

Haruna Iddrisu, who made these remarks at a press conference in Accra, alleged that the government was making Ghanaians go through all this stress because of its own agenda, not thinking about its security implication.

“It appears the success of the communication sector is haunting this government. And the members of the government are not even placing value on its threat to our democracy and (are) endeavouring to emasculate networks to intimidate subscribers whose freedom are regularly subjected to databased manipulations.

“Instead of promoting the widespread use of communication services, what is obtaining now is an unnecessary request for registration, re-registration, multiple registrations… then you will end up with a blockage for contrived reasons.

“They are simply punishing Ghanaians over their own failures and inability to synchronise data between the National Identification Authority and mobile operators in Ghana,” the minority leader, who is the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said.

The NCA, on September 5, 2022, announced that persons who have not registered their SIM cards would be barred from receiving certain services, including all outgoing voice calls and data services.

The NCA explained in a statement that the move forms part of punitive actions ahead of the SIM re-registration deadline, which takes effect on September 30, 2022.

The NCA, however, reiterated that persons who fail to register their SIM cards before the September 30 deadline would have their numbers blocked permanently.

This decision of the NCA led to sector minister, the Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, being berated by most Ghanaians with some even threatening suits.

Civil society group, the Peoples Project, led by musician and politician Kwame Asare-Obeng, popularly called A-Plus, filed a suit seeking an injunction against the NCA enforcing its September 30 2022, deadline of blocking all unregistered SIM cards in the country.

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has also indicated that it will summon the NCA and the Ministry of Communications to answer questions on blocking unregistered SIM CARDS.



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