Beatrice Annan, a member of the opposition NDC Communications team has chided Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, over her tough stance with regards to the ongoing sim re-registration exercise.
Spealing on Metro TV, Beatrice berated the minister’sstatement that she reluctantly extended the deadline for the exercise.
According to her, although she likes the Ghana Card and sim merging initiative, feedback from the ordinary Ghanaian should be considered and not just imposing authority.
She said Ursula could have sought counsel from her 24-yr old son who is likely to know better.
“I listened to the Minister at the press conference yesterday and I thought that Minister, Ursula Owusu would have gone to her 18-year-old son for some wisdom on policy implementation because by this time the son is 24-year-old. In 2016 he was 18 and 6 years down the line I think he is 24 years. “Because she told us that if all you need to be in government is what the NDC was doing, her 18-year-old son would have done a better job. When it comes to policy formulation, implementation and policy synergy policymakers must take their time and listen to feedback,” she said.
“…But yesterday listening to her, I think she should get over herself, come down to the level of every Ghanaian and know that if you are in leadership, it’s for every Ghanaian. It is not a place for you to exercise self-aggrandizement. It is not a place for you to believe that what you say is final. I like her personally but I think she should get over herself.
For her to say that she reluctantly agreed to extend the deadline, who is she? She doesn’t have any capacity howsoever described to cut off anybody’s sim card. What law is backing what she is doing, what regulation gives her that power to do and implement what she is doing in the manner she is doing it,” she said on the Good Morning Ghana show.
The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful extended the SIM Card re-registration exercise to 30 September 2022.
Speaking at the Minister’s Press Briefing in Accra on Sunday (31 July 2022), Owusu-Ekuful said, “The statistics indicate that there was a 90% sim registration as soon as the first deadline was extended on 21 March 2022. Until a week ago, there were no queues at any registration centre.
“People started to register when they realised that the deadline was imminent after going to sleep when it was extended.
“About 50% of those who have completed the first phase of the process have not concluded the second stage. They have linked their sims to the Ghana Card and so that cannot be attributed to Ghana Card challenges,” she said.
She added, “… the programme will be extended to 30 September to end on the anniversary of its commencement. That will give us one full year of sim registration.
“It will be reviewed at the end of this month, and any sim that has not fully been registered by the end of August will barred from receiving certain services including voice and data services.”
She added: “It will also be more expensive to use unregistered sims. The full range of punitive measures will be announced at another press briefing in September.
“Kindly do not blame your service provider when you suffer that fate due to your own inaction.”
Source: PakMediaGh