Telecommunications companies have strongly denied accusations that they intend to disrupt the #endbadgovernance protests scheduled nationwide from August 1-10, 2024. Naija News reports that the companies reaffirmed their commitment to providing uninterrupted services, adhering to their social and economic obligations.
These denials were prompted by prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who accused telcos of attempting to impede the protest. Adegboruwa noted an uptick in complaints about network issues as the protest date nears.
“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,” Adegboruwa said.
He added, “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 remains sacrosanct and should not be tampered with arbitrarily. Sufficient information and opportunity should be given for subscribers to remedy any alleged breach or error.”
The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, dismissed the allegations as absurd.
“This is the funniest allegation anybody can make. We are in a social and economic contract with the people to provide services which are 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 interfering 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,” Adebayo stated.
He continued, “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. It will be unfair to attribute such disruptions to telcos interfering with the protest.”
