Telecommunications companies (telcos) yesterday denied plans to frustrate the #endbadgovernance protest scheduled between August 01-10, 2024 across the country, saying the social and economic contract they signed to provide services at all times would not allow them to do so.
The denial followed an allegation by a prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa that telecommunications companies, telcos in the country are trying to frustrate the planned protest.
Yesterday, Adegboruwa in a statement, said complaints of network restrictions among citizens have risen as the protest nears.
Part of the statement reads: “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.”
“The contract between telecommunication companies and their subscribers remain sacrosanct and should not be tampered with arbitrarily.
“Sufficient information and opportunity should be given for subscribers to remedy any alleged breach or error.
“So many telephone users deploy their numbers for their businesses and other lawful engagements, not to talk of those who may have medical and health-related emergencies. The NCC is urged to look into this and come to the rescue of subscribers.”
Telcos React
However, when contacted, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria, ALTON, Engr Gbenga Adebayo, said nothing could be funnier than such allegation.
According to him, “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. 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“, he added.