Over the weekend, telecommunication operators in Nigeria barred more than 40 million telephone lines following the expiration of the February 28, 2024 deadline set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The deadline mandated telecom consumers to link their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to their National Identity Numbers (NINs). This figure represents a significant increase from the initially planned 12 million lines that were supposed to be deactivated by telcos.
The NCC had issued a notice in December 2023, instructing telecom operators to deactivate SIMs that were not linked to their owners’ NINs by the end of February 2024. Despite appeals and concerns, the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, ruled out an extension of the deadline, warning of sanctions for telcos failing to enforce it.
The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, disclosed that the number of barred lines had risen to 40 million. He explained that the deactivated lines included those without any NIN registration, emphasizing that many people were still communicating without proper registration.
Adebayo mentioned that another series of disconnections would occur by the end of March and mid-April. The next round would target subscribers who provided NIN but had more than five Mobile Subscription Identification Numbers (MSINs) associated with their NIN, which had not been verified. Disconnections for this group were set to take effect from March 30, 2024.
Additionally, subscribers with less than five MSINs linked to an unverified NIN would face disconnection if not harmonized by April 15, 2024. Adebayo highlighted the importance of uniform information across primary and secondary records for successful verification.
The move to link SIMs with NINs was introduced by the Federal Government in December 2020 to enhance security measures. Despite the large-scale deactivation, concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness of this initiative in tracking criminals, especially kidnappers and bandits who use mobile telephone lines during ransom negotiations.
Reacting to the deactivation, the President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, indicated that the association would seek redress in court if the deadline was not extended. He urged the NCC to consider the customers’ plight and grant a 31-day extension.
