THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed all mobile operators to immediately reactivate all lines they disconnected over the weekend.
The NCC gave the directive in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, on Monday, July 29.
The commission claimed consumers are its priority, noting that there was a limited time available for consumers to verify their National Identity Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).
It, however, noted that the reactivation was only for a limited period to allow the consumers to properly link their NIN to their SIM.
The ICIR reports that many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access their phone lines, particularly MTN, because of their inability to link their NINs with their SIMs.
Consequently, the aggrieved subscribers early today, Monday, besieged MTN offices across the country to express their frustration and disappointment over the development.
It would be recalled that the NCC issued an order for the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIMs in December 2020 when the federal government directed telecommunication companies to block unregistered SIM cards and those not linked to NIN.
Since then, many Nigerians have had difficulty linking their lines.
The line blockage came to Nigerians as a surprise at the weekend, with many attributing it as one of the plots by the government to disrupt the planned nationwide protest scheduled for August 1.
But the NCC said July 31 had been set as the deadline for the blockage, long before the protest was planned.
“Since December 2023, the commission has 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 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,” part of the statement read.
The commission further urged Nigerians who are yet to verify their SIMs to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M