Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George Nartey, has described the policy position of the minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, on the deadline for SIM card re-registration as not just uninformed but shows she is clearly unfit for the office she occupies.

According to him, he has noted with renewed concern Mr Owusu-Ekuful’s “unofficial, uninformed and retrogressive” directive to MNOs to deactivate data services on SIMs that have done stage 1 registration but not completed stage 2 registration.

“This policy position is not just uninformed but shows you are clearly unfit for the office you occupy. What is the basis for your general conclusion on all who have not completed stage 2 registration? That they are recalcitrant? That is the most unintelligent reasoning I have heard in your rather unimpressive stint as Minister.”
Sam George Nartey

Sam George indicated that his description of the directive as “unofficial” is because the minister has refused to write a letter either from the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation Ghana or the National Communications Authority Ghana to the Telecommunications Companies. With this, he questioned whether Mrs Owusu-Ekuful expects them to carry out her “uninformed fiat by way of a press statement or Facebook post”.

“Is that what you have reduced the distinguished office of Minister of Communications to? The same office occupied by Edward Salia, Spio-Garbah, John Mahama, Mike Ocquaye, Albert Kan-Dapaah, Haruna Iddrisu and Omane Boamah? Jesus Christ of Nazareth!”
Sam George Nartey

Challenges of SIM card registration

The Ningo-Prampram legislator explained that there are individuals who have completed stage 1 registration but misplaced their Ghana Cards before being able to complete stage 2 at a Telco Office. These persons, he noted, have had to go and apply for replacement cards at the NIA.

Another group of persons, Sam George highlighted, who have completed the stage 1 but not stage 2 are those whose cards have been unreadable when they have gone to the Telco offices. He expressed that these persons have had to go back to the NIA and apply for replacements.

“How you as Minister can conclude that these citizens, many of whom have been frustrated by the cumbersome process you have chosen, are recalcitrant and so should be punished beats logical thinking.”
Sam George Nartey

Sam George questioned why the Communications Minister is refusing to officially write to the MNOs on the subject if she is convinced her directive is grounded in law and can stand scrutiny,

“That has always been how directives have been communicated to them. If the MNOs – MTN Ghana, Vodafone Ghana and AirtelTigo Ghana – proceed with this ‘illegal’ directive without any written documentation, they should be prepared to face us, on behalf of the citizens, in Court as we fight for what is right, proper and just.”
Sam George Nartey