Customers who have been reactivated should be aware that this is only for a short time and will give them the opportunity to correctly link their NIN to their SIM card, according to the NCC.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has issued a directive to all mobile operators to reinstate any lines that were disconnected over the weekend.
This directive comes in light of the limited amount of time that customers have to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) using their SIM cards.
According to a statement released by the NCC, the decision was made because the customer is the organization’s top priority.
According to the statement, consumers who have been reactivated should be aware that this is just for a short time and will allow them to correctly link their NIN to their SIM card.
Read NCC’s Press Statement
As a result of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs), a significant number of telecom subscribers and consumers were unable to access their phone lines during the course of the weekend.
Because of this, their telecom service providers were able to ban their numbers in accordance with the regulations and policies that govern the NIN-SIM linkage.
Telecommunications consumers and the general public will remember the mandatory requirement to connect the National Identification Number (NIN) with SIM cards, which started in December 2020.
The government instructed telecommunication providers to block unregistered SIM cards and SIM cards that were not linked to NIN.
Since December 2023, the Commission has conducted multiple reviews of the deadline on multiple occasions.
The deadline for the entire network blocking of users with four or less SIMs that had unconfirmed NIN information was set for April 15, 2024.
This deadline was subsequently re-examined and moved to the 31st of July, 2024, in order to provide customers with additional time to verify that the NIN details they submitted are properly confirmed.
There are still a great number of phone lines that have not been connected to certified NINs, notwithstanding these extensions.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is conducting this project with the intention of achieving a number of goals, including the enhancement of national security and the verification of the accuracy of the national SIM ownership database.
A crucial infrastructure that ensures citizens have access to the benefits of a vibrant digital economy is provided by the NIN-SIM linking policy.
This policy facilitates the verification and protection of the identities of users, while also safeguarding their identities. The consumer is our top priority; consequently, in light of the difficulties that the blockages have caused, the Commission has issued a directive to all operators, instructing them to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend.
This directive comes in light of the limited amount of time that consumers have to verify their NINs using their SIM cards. Customers who have been reactivated should be aware that this is just for a short time and will give them the opportunity to correctly link their NIN to their SIM card.
To ensure that they continue to have access to their lines, members of the general public who have not yet verified their SIM cards are strongly advised to do so as soon as possible.
