The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated the immediate reactivation of cell phone lines that were recently barred by telecommunication companies.
The directive, issued in consideration of the challenges these blockages have caused many telecom subscribers, was announced in a statement by Dr. Reuben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs for the NCC, on Monday in Abuja.
Muoka recounted that over the past weekend, numerous telecom subscribers found themselves unable to access their phone lines due to the failure to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).
As a result, their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in compliance with the laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.
“Telecom consumers and the public will recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM, which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN,” Muoka stated.
Since December 2023, the Commission has reviewed the deadline multiple times, with April 15, 2024, initially set as the deadline for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details.
This deadline was later extended to July 31, 2024, to give consumers additional time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines remain unlinked with verified NINs.
The Federal Government’s objectives for this exercise include enhancing national security and ensuring the accuracy of the national SIM ownership database.
The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in the verification and protection of users’ identities and provides critical infrastructure that enables citizens to access the benefits of the digital economy.
“The consumer is our priority,” Muoka emphasized, “therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend.”
This action is being taken in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs.
Muoka reminded deactivated consumers that the reactivation is for a limited period, allowing them to properly link their NIN to their SIM. He urged members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.
