NCA lawyer apologises for ‘use gong-gong’ comments on SIM card re-registration

Director of Legal Affairs at the National Communications Authority (NCA), Dr. Poku Adusei has apologised for asking persons who don’t want to have their SIM cards re-registered to use “fax, telegram, gong-gong, and talking drums”.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he explained that his aim was to underscore the importance of the SIM card registration, and not to denigrate his audience. He therefore apologised for his initial remarks.

“Folks, good afternoon. I have observed the concerns being expressed by people on my Facebook post yesterday. In my earlier post, I had sought to highlight the importance of the SIM registration exercise and the fact that same is backed by law. However, my subsequent post seems to have given a certain mis-impression. If my post offended anyone, I apologise.

I must state that I did not in any way intend to slight well-meaning Ghanaians, who were communicating their challenges with the SIM registration exercise. I have subsequently, and in recognition of the views and sensibilities of others, deleted the post”, Dr. Adusei wrote.

The apologetic legal practitioner, added that, he is aware of the “tireless efforts being made by the NCA, the telcos, and the technical partners to redress any challenges associated with the SIM registration exercise. Evidently, the technical efforts to redress these challenges and to ensure a seamless SIM registration exercise are yielding fruits”.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, January 13, 2022, Dr Poku Adusei, asked members of the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers to resort to fax, telegrams, gong-gong, and talking drums, if they do not want to re-register their SIM cards. His comment followed a notice by members of the group to boycott the ongoing SIM card re-registration exercise. The group has set aside February 8, to embark on a nationwide protest dubbed ‘No Calls Day’.

According to them, there is “no law in Ghana that requires Ghanaian mobile network subscribers to “re-register” their SIM cards. They therefore urged the NCA to immediately withdraw its directive for mobile network customers to re-register their SIM cards by March 31, 2022.

The sim re-registration exercise commenced on October 1 and is to end on March 31, 2022. The communications Ministry has explained that it is geared towards dealing with fraudsters as well as enabling security agencies to track persons who engage in criminal activities.