Mixed Reactions Trail SIM Card Registration

Inspite of the clamour by the Nigeria communications commission (NCC) on the registration of mobile phones subscriber identification module (sim) cards considering its security importance, some holders of the cards have remained in different to the call.

Speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt, Mrs. Joy Akpomena, an international business woman and holder of the MTN, GLO and Etisalat network sim cards as another political scheming by politicians in their political pursuits.  

Akpomena said “this exercise is another way of politics. Through the thumbprints in the scanning machine, you are already casting your votes for a particular candidate. If not, why didn’t the government introduce it long before ago except now that the elections are approaching.

She claimed to be aware of the game in the exercise and had refused to register any of her sim card more so because she was not a politician.

Agabus Stanley was of the view that the sim card registration was of no economic importance because it had made no impact in the call rates.

“For me this registration exercise is not useful. Atleast there should be some economic implications on our parts in the charges by the various networks. I see no reason why I should register my sim card and still be charged high in call rates. It does not make any difference” he said.

On their part, Uche Sunday, a Glo network subscriber and a student and Mrs. Glory Lucky, a civil servant and an MTN sim holder however toed the path of the NCC in the on-going exercise.

They maintained that the exercise would help to curb fraudulent activities in the country saying “it is a thing of Joy that this exercise has come up. It’s a way forward to track down fraudsters who collect money from people through text messages. Infact, it will stop high rate of crime committed in the country and bring about high level of security.

Blessing Umukoro viewed the exercise as a means of extorting money from sim card holders.

In his words “some of these people who are registering the cards are also using means to collect money from people and so I find it difficult to join in the exercise”.

It would be recalled that the NCC had directed sim card holders to ensure the registration of their cards to tackle the incessant frauds committed through mobile phones without which would imply a non-functioning of the sim cards at the expiration of the dead line.