NCC Orders Immediate Unblocking of Lines Affected by NIN-SIM Issues
By Nafiu Toyin Abdulqadri
Last weekend, numerous telecom subscribers of MTN faced disruptions to their phone services as many struggled to complete the mandatory verification of their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs). As a result, their phone numbers were blocked, in compliance with the regulations governing the NIN-SIM linkage policy.
On Monday, July 29, 2024, InsiderNg observed that a significant number of individuals affected by the SIM blockage converged on various MTN offices in Ilorin to express their frustration and seek resolution. The MTN offices located in Murtala, Maraba, and Taiwo areas were overcrowded, with customers eagerly waiting to have their SIMs unblocked.
Due to the widespread impact on citizens nationwide, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has instructed telecom operators to immediately unblock affected SIM cards. The NCC is also urging individuals who have not yet verified their SIMs to do so promptly, to ensure uninterrupted access to their phone lines.
“Since December 2023, the Commission has since reviewed the deadline a few times; April 15, 2024 was set as the deadline for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details. This deadline was then reviewed to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines are yet to be linked with verified NINs.
The objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate. The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in verifying and protecting users’ identities while also providing a critical infrastructure that assures access to the benefits of a robust digital economy for the citizenry.
The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs. Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.”