Telcos deny alleged plan to cut off lines to hinder outrage against hunger
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Telecom companies (Telcos) have denied allegation by rights activist Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN, and others that they plan to block lines to prevent the #Endbadgovernance protest against hunger between August 1 and 10, over which Bola Tinubu is having sleepless nights and threatening arrests instead of deploying his presidential powers to stop wasting and looting of funds youths are angry about.
Telcos said the social and economic contract they signed to provide services at all times would not allow them to sabotage the protest.
But there is a co-incidence whereby Telcos had long planned to deactivate telephones not linked to National Identity Numbers (NINs) from July 31, as ordered by the National Communication Commission (NCC) months ago before youths announced their plan to give the Kenyan treatment to Tinubu for his insincerity and deception.
Adegboruwa issued a statement on Sunday, saying, “For the past few days, some telecom companies have been disconnecting their subscribers for flimsy and untenable reasons.
“Some allege lack of NIN registration or linking, while others didn’t give any reason at all.
“This action is coming on the heels of the proposed struggle of the people against hunger, poverty, suffering, and the suffocating economic policies of the Tinubu administration.
“From all indications, it would seem that the underlying target of the telecom companies is to limit the reach of their customers in order to restrict access and thus frustrate the protests.”
Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria, (ALTON) Chairman Gbenga Adebayo countered the allegation is not true.
“This is the funniest allegation anybody can make. We are in a social and economic contract with the people to provide services which is critical to their lives, at all times,” he said.
“That contract will not allow us to do such a thing.
“Besides, what is the motive for which we can even assume such a heinous act? Both those for and against the protest are our subscribers, so if we try to frustrate it, whose interest will we be serving. We are apolitical by nature and will remain so.
“We have no business to interfere with the political beliefs of our subscribers. So, in all intent and purposes, we have no intention to interfere in whatever way with the protest.
“The deadline for SIM-NIN linkage for subscribers who have not done so, is this month end and networks have started barring such subscribers after sufficient and repeated warnings have been passed.
“It will be unfair to attribute such disruptions to telcos interfering with the protest.”
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