The Minority says it will not approve the 2023 budgetary allocation for the Communications Ministry should the Sector Minister not heed calls to slow down on the SIM card re-registration exercise.

The caucus says the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful will be made to suffer the consequences of her actions.

This is according to the Deputy Ranking on the Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Nartey George.

When asked if this does not amount to blackmail, the Ningo-Prampram lawmaker answered in the negative.

The MP says the Minister has refused to listen to reason on the matter. He said her actions were akin to that of a recalcitrant child.

“The Minister can choose to use her administrative powers in a manner that she pleases, but she should not cry foul when we also as members of the Minority choose to use our parliamentary powers to refuse to hear her budget for 2023.

“This is not blackmail because if the Minister is acting irresponsibly and illegally, then this cannot be said to be blackmailing. Since October last year, we tried to talk reason to her, technical people have explained to her why her route is wrong, but she is recalcitrant and when you have a recalcitrant child, you use what the Bible says, the rod of correction,” he said in a JoyNews interview.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has asked mobile telephony subscribers not to blame their service providers for failure to register their SIM cards.

According to her, a full raft of punitive measures will soon be rolled out against those who fail to register their SIM Cards, using the Ghana Card.

Stressed in a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 7, that, “At a subsequent press conference in September, the full scope of the sanctions will be revealed.

If you suffer that fate as a result of your own inaction, kindly do not blame your service provider. To be forewarned is to be forearmed."