Our members not trying to frustrate proposed protest – ALTON

The Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) says its members are not involved in trying to frustrate the proposed nationwide protest by barring subscriber lines or restricting internet access.

The ALTON Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, said on Sunday night that it was just coincidental that the barring of lines by telecommunications companies was coming at a time some people were preparing for a protest.

Supreme News reports that there have been reports that some youth groups are planning a nationwide protest from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 to demand the government's solutions to the rising cost of living and economic hardship in the country.

At the same time, some subscribers have had their lines barred by their telcos, even after doing the NIN-SIM linkage.

This led to complaints by subscribers that telcos are trying to restrict citizens’ access to the internet in order to frustrate the planned protest.

ALTON is the official industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria.

Its membership includes all the major telecommunications licensees in Nigeria, particularly those providing voice and data telephony, as well as those providing ancillary and other related value-added services.

Adebayo, an engineer, said, “I have received inquiries about this issue. No organisation or association is barring lines because of the proposed protest.

“It is coincidental that the barring of lines is coming at a time when a protest is being planned. We have no hand at all in what is going on with the protest.

“Telecommunications companies are service providers and provide non-discriminatory service. Our hands are clean.

“Go to your network service provider, and your issue will be addressed.”

The ALTON chairman explained that the barring of lines had to do with National Identification Number (NIN) integration.

He said that it was those that had not integrated their NIN with their SIM, whose lines were being barred, and urged everyone affected to go to their network call centres to have their issues addressed.

Adebayo stressed that its members were obliged to provide uninterrupted service to everybody on a non-discriminatory basis.

Also reacting to the issue, Mr. Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the National President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, said that the barring of lines was not done to frustrate anybody or any group.

Ogunbanjo said that there was a recent announcement on the issue, but many subscribers did not take heed to it.

“The number of NINs that are not properly done is alarming, and when you ask the affected persons, they will say I went to a kiosk somewhere or something similar to do my NIN registration.

“Many do not use their real names; some go to fake centres to do their NIN registration. The bottom line is that proper registration was not done.

“I implore everybody to do the needful and go to recognised NIN centres,” he said.

He said further that all persons who have not had their NIN properly registered should go to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) office at Ikeja, Lagos.

Ogunbanjo said that they could also go to their local government secretariat to get the NIN properly registered.

Supreme News reports that the disconnection process, which began in February, was rolled out in three phases. The first phase occurred on Feb. 28, 2024, followed by the second phase on Friday, March 29, 2024.

The Nigerian Communications Commission had directed telecommunications companies to extend the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN) from April 15, 2024, to July 31, 2024.

During the initial deadline on Feb. 28, 2024, the industry regulator said about 40 million lines not linked to NINs were barred.