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In light of the disruptions caused by the disconnections of millions of subscribers over the weekend, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed all operators to temporarily reactivate the affected lines. This reactivation is intended to give consumers additional time to complete the verification process. Subscribers are urged to link their NINs to their SIMs promptly to avoid future disconnections and maintain uninterrupted access to their lines.
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The telecom regulator made the order this afternoon in an official statement.
Over the weekend, many telecom subscribers in Nigeria 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). This led to a mass disconnection by telecom service providers in accordance with the government’s NIN-SIM linkage policy.
The mandatory linkage of NINs with SIM cards began in December 2020, following a government directive aimed at barring unregistered SIM cards and those not linked to NINs. Despite multiple deadline extensions, including an April 15, 2024 deadline for barring subscribers with up to four SIMs and a subsequent extension to July 31, 2024, many phone lines remain unlinked to verified NINs.
The Federal Government’s initiative aims to enhance national security and maintain an accurate national SIM ownership database. The NIN-SIM linkage policy helps verify and protect users’ identities, providing a crucial infrastructure for a robust digital economy.
