The Arewa Telecom Operators Agents and SIM Card Dealers Association (ATOASDA) has raised the alarm that no fewer than two million Nigerian youths have now been rendered jobless by the recent suspension of sale, registration and activation of SIM Cards by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The Telecom dealers while addressing a press conference on Monday in Kaduna, noted that they were aware of the Federal Government’s intention to address security challenges through linkage of the National Identity Number (NIN) with mobile numbers and suspension of new SIM registration, they, however, fear that rendering two million youths jobless might worsen the nation’s security situation.
Speaking on behalf of the dealers, President of the association, Hassan Yakubu, said as a registered group with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with registration number CAC/IT/NO131761 and with Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) with reference number NCC/CAB/2019/VOL.1/011, they were fully in support of the Federal Government’s measures to protect the lives and properties of the citizenry.
He, however, observed that the federal government must tread carefully since available research works on the causes of insecurity across the country have been linked primarily to youth unemployment.
Yakubu said that the income of the telecoms business partners, staff and the agents, majority of whom are within the age bracket of 20 to 40 year-old in the value chain is determined by the number of activations/SIM registration carried out within the month.