Hardship: NCC, ALTON laugh off claims of jamming network to frustrate protests
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has laughed off the allegation making the rounds that it ordered the telecommunications operators in the country to suppress calls and compress the network just to frustrate activities of the #Endbadgovernance protesters.
NCC says such assumptions are awkward and belittles the height Nigerians have attained in technology knowledge.
Just as the NCC was debunking the rumour, a reliable source from the umbrella body of telecom companies, the Association of Licensed Telecom operators in Nigeria, ALTON, echoed the same sentiment, saying the thinking was absurd.
The source said though the allegation is for the NCC to debunk, all he could confirm is that the telcos never received such instructions and would never imagine the NCC ever giving such untenable order.
A top official at the Commission who wishes to remain anonymous said: “People should understand that NCC is pro-people. There is no way we could have given such instruction. Even if it were possible, the commission by doing so, would be opening itself for blackmail and would be at the mercy of operators who may capitalise on such anti-people instruction to demand what would be difficult for the commission to grant. “As a matter of fact, the Commission was even more concerned about how people would get access; and how telecom infrastructure would be protected at this time of crisis, so that when people find themselves in places of emergency, they would be able to communicate with their families and loved ones.
“Have also stopped to think; the TV stations that have been getting information from their correspondents all over the country, through which channel were they doing so? So, there was nothing like sabotage,” he added.
At the height of the protest on its first day, Thursday, many people claimed the telecommunications operators, telcos sabotaged the flow of network while the #Endbadgovernace protest commenced.
Some of them claimed the bad network started Wednesday night and hindered them from either uploading or downloading their pictures and videos during the protest.
One of the social media users with a username, Martins expressed his view in a WhatsApp group saying: “Network is terrible since yesterday evening. Abi government doesn’t want us to get update?”
Also speaking to another Lagos based-musician, Mr. Samuel Nsika, he said: “Network has really disturbed me since morning. I haven’t been able to do any reasonable thing online. I think the government is trying to frustrate protesters,” he claimed.
In the same vein, Mrs Florence, an 80-year-old grandma who normally communicates with her children and grandchildren via WhatsApp, told Vanguard she could hardly communicate with her loved ones since morning.
