The decision by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Security Agency (NSA), to register and capture the biometric data of all mobile phone subscribers, ostensibly to curb crimes committed through mobile phones and other cyber outlets in the country is an action that was long overdue. The activities of scammers and incidence of cyber criminality in the country is not a matter of hearsay: it is a recurring daily occurrence. But the chaos that occurred last Wednesday, when about 10.7 million subscribers woke up to find out that their mobile phones had been disconnected, was to say the least, scandalous, even criminal. Millions of irate subscribers besieged their network service centers across the country to complain about their inability to either make or receive calls and send text messages because of the ban placed on their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) cards. By subjecting subscribers to such excruciating agony and misery, the NCC re-affirmed its insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians. The needless pain and panic was a calculated insult and Nigerians deserve a full explanation for the provocation.
Expressing support for the deactivation of the SIM cards, the President of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said only SIM cards found defective ought to have been suspended. He accused the Major Network Operators (MNOs) -MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat of non-compliance and stone-walling the exercise by refusing to yank off people with uncompleted registration details from their networks as this entails losing market share. He disclosed that in September 2014, the NCC discovered that some of the SIM data the GSM operators sent to the commission for harmonization were defective and had to be returned. To which end, 18.6 million SIM data were sent back to MTN; 7. 49 million to Airtel; 2.23 million to Globacom and 10.46 million to Etisalat. Commenting on the plight of subscribers, who duly registered, but still got their phones suspended; Ogunbanjo said: “such customers should still visit the service centers and formally complain, saying that NATCOMs will fight for compensation for subscribers in such categories.”
The controversy has put the NCC and the quartet of MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat on the spotlight. To begin with, the about N31 billion claimed to have been invested in the exercise in the last five years, appears to be money gone down the drain. While MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat claimed to have spent about N25 billion on the process, NCC, under former Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Eugene Juwah, also got N6.1 billion from the federal government to do the SIM registration and harmonization.
As the breakdown in communication across the country has demonstrated, it is doubtful if the NCC considered the ripple effect of its inconsiderate administration of the exercise. With millions of dissatisfied customers milling around the centers, manned by discourteous and ill-mannered customer service reps, who themselves have become challenged by the tedium and tackiness of the exercise, it would take only a short while before tensions begin to mount, especially with the continuous suspension of duly registered subscribers who are paying the price because some Nigerians are bad citizens as far as obeying rules and regulations are concerned.
The uncanny display of patience and subservience, amidst sloppy management of the exercise by the GSM operators, is commendable. However, it would be a mistake to take this for granted. As tensions eventually rise and tempers flare, simple altercations, which ordinarily would be resolved, frankly, would become, in this mob setting, a recipe for violence. And Nigeria, charged as it is from the palpitation of socio-economic discontents, cannot afford to be fanned aflame by a commotion over mobile phones. It is imperative, therefore, that the groundswell of public complaints and an acknowledgement of its incapacitation should impel the NCC and other stakeholders to reconsider the suspension.
As it is, there is a latent bureaucratic malady, which reinforces the suspicion that neither the NCC nor the GSM operators possess the capacity to manage an exercise as simple as establishing a biometric database for mobile phone subscribers. However grand the idea seems, the execution is confused and badly implemented. Its long-term intentions seem to be blighted by this shoddy execution. It is either the NCC is ready for the exercise, or it is not. If it is, all things ought to have been put in place to make the exercise as hitch-free as possible. Given the lack of preparedness on the part of the stakeholders, and the tardiness surrounding the whole exercise, Nigerians deserve a respite.
Beyond the tragic comedy of errors that the exercise has become, now is an auspicious moment for the NCC to take a hard look at the quality and cost of services provided by the GSM operators. The current connectivity and tariff/billing problems are beyond the registration of SIM cards. With 154 million connected lines, 144 million of them active according to released figures, in over a decade of service, Nigeria has come a long way. What is regrettable however is the service delivery, which is clearly inversely proportional to the growth of the sector, despite promises to the contrary by the providers. The NCC, despite claims of working at quality and transparent service delivery, seems content with inadequate supervision.
Against the public outcry over poor service delivery, it is common knowledge that GSM operators are practically ripping off Nigerians. Making or receiving calls is a most frustrating experience. And other broadband services are not better. Sadly enough, there is no effective channel of getting redress against this vexatious situation. Telecoms operators have no excuse for the shoddy services in Nigeria today. They are in business and have a duty to render quality service all the time. There is no close monitoring of what is happening with a view to correcting it.
For instance, the networks are overloaded with adverts, which interfere with services. There are too many thefts of handsets that are not tracked. The PUK code, which should be used to block stolen handsets, is not utilized. Charges are exorbitant. Sometimes, very deceptive low charges are advertised, but never applied. Many advertisements of charges in kobo per second are deceptive. Unsolicited services are charged to the chagrin of users. Internet services are offered and charged beyond what it should be despite the low capacity.
Granted that the operators have their own challenges, the truth is that they could do better by delivering acceptable quality service. The NCC appears too weak or too set in its ways to act. As the agent of government, the NCC has a duty to ensure that telecoms services are up to standards. But there appears to be no standards in the operations. Nigerians could get a better deal if the regulators do their job by applying international best practices. This is why the Buhari administration should intervene to change the situation for better. The Consumer Protection Council should stop grandstanding and start working to ensure Nigerians get value for their money.
