NCC Orders MTN, Airtel, Others to Immediately Reactivate Blocked SIMs

The Nigerian Communication Commission on Monday Directed all telecommunication companies to immediately reactivate all phone lines affected by NIN-SIM verification exercise.

NCC admitted that “over the weekend many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).

It said that this meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.

NCC in its statement by Reuben Mouka, Director of Public Affairs, said, “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. Members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.”

NCC reminded consumers that the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.

“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. ”

NPO Reports that protests have rocked some parts of the country earlier on Monday as temper rose over the blocking of SIMs.

Subscribers in Osogbo, Osun, Ibadan, Lagos and many others had queued for hours with many of them complaining of slow service at the outlets.

In the Festac town area of Lagos, some angry subscribers pulled down the fence of an MTN outlet in anger.

Some of the staff of the company were seen in panic mode as angry subscribers threatened to beat them up.

A video of the scene shared by an X user Mila MIla @MilamanOfor showed how the fence was pulled down:

Happening now at MTN office festac town pic.twitter.com/jkSDgpKSpZ