 Okay, we did tell you that telecom operators have lost over 6 million subscribers in six months. Maybe there is a reason for this. And there are fears also that even more could be lost. So we have, as I guessed this morning, Mr. Ollada Po Moses, a former national president of the private telecommunications and telecommunications and communications senior staff association of Nigeria, Lagos State. Good morning and welcome to the program, Mr. Moses. Yeah, very good morning to you and listeners all over the world, very good. Six months, just six months, six million subscribers, this is like an average of one million per month that telecom operators have lost over this period. So can we start by knowing possibly what cost it? Yeah, thank you very much. This is just looking like the beginning. There is still chance that many more will be lost. The seriousness on the part of the companies in the way people come on, people sign up to the network. It works accordingly. You know, when you develop countries or in other developing countries, you cannot get the SIM card without fully registering and making your SIM. But in Nigeria, we don't have the activity, but the legacy at which the circle go about getting everybody on board without ending is what is responsible for this. A lot of people thought that because of the hardship, people can't buy data anymore. They cannot load their phones anymore. That's why they just opted out. And you're saying it's because of registration. So how did it happen? Is it that it got to a point where if you don't have your national identity card, you are ripped off from the greed or something? How did this come about? Well, there was a time the government, the former minister, was trying to be serious about registration of MIM. And I believe that many subscribers also came up. Some of them were giving bonuses. If you will make your SIM to your NIM, you get bonuses. And this was going on and on. And I believe that towards the design of last administration, because this data we are talking about, it is 2021, 2022, for the six million subscribers. Now, through that time, due to the security issue, challenging the outcome, which the registration was supposed to reduce before. So the government came in a little bit proper at that time. And that you must give your NIM for you to make our best services. So the issue is not about cost. Because we look at that data. It's not six months in this year. That the subscriber is six months in, I think, 2021. 2021, yes. I'm trying to watch on 2022. That point is not connected to this issue at all. It's not connected to this problem at all. Yeah. Okay. So the people just... Well, you are saying that more can be lost. Are you saying that there are more people who did not register and they are still having their SIM cards, even after so many months, working for them? Okay. Another way that some more losses can come is that many people buy to be loaded SIM cards, which I believe they are very soon. NCC, NIMC, we also ask on that. That is also part of those things that are loaded. Because at times, you pick up SIM cards and somebody has registered and you do this. And so you may be along the line. That's before you show that something will happen. So there is a possibility that many people get those lines like that. And something is also common that people do this. Once you lose the line, maybe you lost your phone. People don't get that line back. Let's go and pick another line. Either somebody has leaked it or you make it a flash. All those things are also counted as lost. Most people in the streets, except for people that understand the reason for having a single line. Most people, like I've had many people do that. So they just get off the line and pick another line immediately. Some people have three lines. You lost your phone. You buy your phone. That's one thing. Two lines are gone. So that is also part of the reason why we have this loss. Some of these people, it's because a new line is practically next to nothing. And to do a welcome back to an old line will cost you some money. So they prefer just to go and buy a new line. Why does welcoming back a line have to cost the much that it does and a new line doesn't cost? Because if you buy a new line, maybe a hundred Naira, or they give you a free in some cases, you are still going to register and everything, but it doesn't cost you as much as welcoming back your old line. Why is that? That's part of the new question problem we have in Nigeria. I can digress in it too. So, you know, I've been having the NIN gone and then you get a lot of problems to process a new issue. You know, it's just a stupid thing because the new line comes, like you said, with a lot of benefit, old lines of benefit, and it still has to cure. You know, despite having BBN, NIN being, and people going, the church was also going to Vashua team, I believe all these things should be able to be done without being consistent there. At what, you can pick up Vashua team online. But I don't know, maybe these are things that we need to discuss in Nigeria. We should make processes easy for people. Every process in Nigeria is that you are going to fire. You need anything, you are going to fire. So, I believe it's time for circles, especially because circles are needed in telecommunications, and they should be able to come up with telecom ways, with technical ways that will become easy. So, it goes as part of this problem. Like I said, it's not to be lost. Because if this government will come also hard on security, we'll get back to that same issue. For people not doing their needs, or not doing it properly, or people believe that they can get into it wrongly from another person. So, I believe that we have a lot of losses now. And it's not to be put down to income for the telecoms. Okay, is it a problem of the government or the telecoms themselves? Like, are you blaming it on poor policies from the government that is making these things difficult, or the telecoms themselves have not even set up to their responsibility? I believe the circles are also playing on the new puzzle in the government. Because I don't think governments should be responsible for the slow change, slow replacement of old things. Welcome back. So, but they know that, like this, all the loopholes or the weakness from the government and they are tapping into it. I believe we should act just like what was done to zoom down by law's admission in ease-of-gain business. You know, at the point you see it working, at that point it's gone. At that point it's gone. So, this will be part of ease-of-gain business. You have to walk up into any telecom for two minutes to your house. But the circles are playing on the loopholes and the weakness of the government. Because nobody is going to hold them responsible. So, the problem is for both sides, the government and the self. Okay, let's just make you into an advisor right now. If you were to advise the government on specific policies, we're ending it right now, on specific policies that can make some of these things seamless, what would you tell them? One, we have liquor in our business to work on fast. I don't need any people to work with me. I should be able to get in there in less than 15 minutes. You have my business. But you know, the processes that is being done, you are already going to feel people you have been calling before. You are going to do this in a lot of unnecessary jargon. I already have business. It has my space. It has my phone number. It has my data, my details. That shouldn't take us more than one minute. I think government is going to visit it and then it's on them. That's time for picking up the work on back should not be modernizing. Then also, we just need to improve on it. Vashar, same card. Almost all major phones can do that. So I believe with that, we can also make it a bit faster. Then the second should show more responsibility. Even without anybody monitoring, show more responsibility. The more we get on, the more money you make. And so it will show more responsibility. Show more commitment to start business. And I believe with that, that's what I advise the government. Look into them more. Look into them again. And ensure that your policies, the ease of business is easier than what we have now. Okay. And truly work. All right. Thank you so very much, Mr. Olada for Moses for coming on the show. Thank you for having me. Okay. We have been talking with Mr. Olada for Moses, former national president of the private telecommunications and communications senior staff association of Nigeria, Lagos State. He was talking to us about what is happening in the telecom sector where operators have lost over six million subscribers. And this was in a space of six months. And there's fear that they could lose even more. We'll take a short break when we return. We'll be talking with Nick Agouli on how the ministers are likely to perform. Stay with us.