Some dissident Ghanaians opposing the SIM card re-registration exercise ongoing across the country, have begun their “No Calls Day” protest today, Tuesday February 8, 2022.
The group calling itself Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, scheduled the day for the boycott in an attempt to force the Government to rescind its decision on the “inhumane” process of re-registration of the SIM cards.
In effect, they are calling on all Ghanaians not to make or receive phone calls as a way of registering their displeasure about the circus surrounding the SIM card re-registration exercise.
According to them, the No Calls Day is one of series of national protests to be embarked on until government responds positively to their demands.
In a statement dated Thursday, January 13, 2022, they contended that “there is no law in Ghana that requires Ghanaian mobile network subscribers to “Re-register” their SIM cards”.
“Any attempt to impose this on subscribers or block their lines would amount to an infringement of their property rights”, the statement read further.
The Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers further made the following demands:
(I) The National Communication Authority (NCA) should immediately withdraw its directive for mobile network customers to re-register their SIM cards by 31st March 2022.
(II) When the appropriate legal framework is in place, a re-registration exercise can be done without having subscribers spend productive hours and several days in long queues in the midst of a ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
(III) There’s understandably a need to eliminate crime. But the fight against criminals must be within the law. We therefore demand that the NCA and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) must come up with a better and innovative way of re-registering the SIM cards by first amending existing law; and, secondly, to do so without the current inhumane re-registration process we are witnessing.
Notable members of the group are Ras Mubarak, Prof. Raymond Atuguba, Samson Lardy Anyenini, Manasseh Azure Awuni, Kofi Bentil and Franklin Cudjoe.
The others include Kofi Kakraba Pratt, Dr. Kwesi Owusu, James Afedo, Selorm Branttie, Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi, Akyaaba Addai – Sebo, Kwame Mfodwo, Michael Ofori – Akuffo and Amma Sarfo-Kantanka.
The Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers warned that if the NCA and the MNOs fail to heed these demands, “we shall, starting Tuesday, 8th February 2022 begin the first of a series of planned boycotts until the rights of customers to be treated with dignity are respected”.
