According to Ningo-Prampram NDC MP, Samuel Nartey George, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is unqualified to serve as the minister of communications and digitalization.
He claims that the Minister urged Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) informally to limit some services on SIM cards that weren’t fully registered.
According to him, the MNOs are to restrict data services for SIMs that have completed the first step of the two-stage registration process but have not yet completed the second stage, per the Minister’s direction.
Sam George argued that Ursula Owusu’s choice was ill-informed and needed to be changed.
The member of the communications committee remarked that the minister, who also serves as the Ablekuma West MP, is incompetent in her field.
Recall that Ursula Owusu-Ekuful had previously made a suggestion about potential penalties for anyone who consciously chooses not to participate in the SIM re-registration procedure.
Sam George expressed renewed alarm in a Facebook post iterating: “I have noted with renewed concern your ‘unofficial’, ignorant, and retrogressive ‘directive’ asking MNOs to disable data services on SIMs that have done stage 1 registration but not stage 2 registration.”
Meanwhile, he added that:”I refer to the ‘directive’ as ‘unofficial’ because you have refused to write a letter either from the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation Ghana or the National Communications Authority Ghana to the Telecommunications Companies.
Below Are His Words
Do you expect them to carry out your uninformed fiat by way of a press statement or Facebook post of yours? Really? Is that what you have reduced the distinguished office of the Minister of Communications to? The same office was occupied by Edward Salia, Spio-Garbah, John Mahama, Mike Ocquaye, Albert Kan-Dapaah, Haruna Iddrisu, and Omane Boamah. Jesus Christ of Nazareth!”
“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.
“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 have had to go and apply for replacement cards at the NIA. The challenges with that process are not new to any rational mind.
“Another group of persons who have completed the stage 1 but not stage 2 are those whose card have been unreadable when they have gone to the Telco offices. 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.”
“If you are convinced your directive is grounded in law and can stand scrutiny, why are you refusing to officially write to the MNOs? 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.
“For God and Country!”