MTN users woke up to discover their lines had been barred over the, which fueled speculations that it may be connected to the upcoming August 1st #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, which Nigerians are championing to protest economic hardship in the country.
Many affected people have come online to express their displeasure with the development, claiming it is one of the government’s antics to disrupt the protest. The government has been trying to ensure the protest doesn’t hold.
Videos emerged on Monday showing hundreds of MTN subscribers besieging the telecom giant’s offices in some parts of the country. One of the subscribers said, “Maybe this is where the protest will start”.
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Protest organiser reacts
Omoyele Sowore, a prominent activist organising the August 1 protests, issued a warning on Sunday, stating that if telecom firms continue to restrict internet access to Nigeria before the rallies, the protests may begin at their offices.
“TELCOS – MTNNG, GloWorld and AirtelNigeria are deliberately targeting Nigerians to slow down their ability to communicate and mobilise. Nigerians are determined more than ever to #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria during the #DaysOfRage #Nogoingback #RevolutionNow.
In his follow-up tweet, he stated, “A lot of Nigerians survive by using their mobile devices daily for a variety of transactions to avoid total starvation; now the @officialABAT is conniving with TELCOS, particularly @MTNNG @GloWorld and @AirtelNigeria to shut down this last means of existence. #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria #DaysOfRage #revolutionNow”.
The night that Nigerian police opened fire on protestors at Lekki Toll gate during the historic EndSARS protest—which was spearheaded by youth in response to extortion and extrajudicial killings carried out by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police—there was a telecom network outage.
Human right lawyer reacts
Senior lawyer Ebun Adegboruwa has expressed concern over telecommunication corporations conspiring with Nigerian authorities to restrict internet access as citizens prepare for nationwide protests over economic hardships.
Some telecom firms have been terminating their customers for spurious and unworkable reasons for the previous few days. Mr Adegboruwa stated on Sunday that some people claimed they were not linked to or registered with NIN, while others did not explain at all.
“The people’s proposed struggle against poverty, hunger, suffering, and the oppressive economic policies of the Tinubu administration precedes this action.”
In the statement, Mr Adegboruwa said that attempts by telcos to disconnect customers point to intentions to restrict internet usage in an effort to quell protests in August.
According to Mr. Adegboruwa, “all signs point to the telecom companies’ ultimate goal of restricting their customers’ reach in order to prevent access and stifle the protests.”
“Look into this and come to the rescue of the subscribers,” he pleaded with the NCC.
The remarks made by Mr Adegboruwa corroborate the grievances of other Nigerians, many of whom claimed on social media that their network provider had refused them access to the internet.
MTN Nigeria list guidelines to unblock lines
On Monday, MTN Nigeria created guidelines for the subscribers to unblock their lines.
The guideline is as follows: dial *996# or visit nin.mtn.ng; check NIN status and proceed if not linked; enter OTP sent to your email or phone number; enter NIN; give consent and enter NIN linking request.
The telecom implored those unable to unlock their lines through this process to visit their offices.
Barred lines due to NIN-SIM linkage verification policy
Due to their “inability to verify” the connection between their National Identification Numbers (NINs) and their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs), many Nigerians were unable to use their phone lines over the weekend.
This indicated that their telecom service providers had blocked their numbers due to the nation’s NIN-SIM linkage policy.
In December 2020, the federal government ordered telecommunications providers to prohibit unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NINs, marking the start of the NIN-SIM linkage policy.
The deadline for the whole network, except for subscribers with four or fewer SIMs with unverified NIN information, was set for April 15, 2024. The NCC has revised the date several times since December 2023.
To “give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified,” the deadline was revised and moved to July 31, 2024.
The commission stated on Monday that despite these expansions, many phone lines are still not connected to confirmed NINs.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria is conducting this exercise to improve national security and guarantee the accuracy of the national SIM ownership database.” According to the NCC, “the NIN-SIM linkage policy provides a vital infrastructure that guarantees citizens’ access to the benefits of a robust digital economy while also assisting in the verification and protection of users’ identities.”
However, this correspondent’s findings indicate that even SIMs linked to NIN were barred.
A subscriber named Abubakar Gajam on X stated, “Please note that @MTNNG blocked my line for no reason because I have linked my line with my NIN at least 3 times in the past. The successful linkage is even evident on my @MTNNG app. As a regulator, you need to look into this indiscriminate blockage.”
“MTN NG blocked my line for no reason. I have linked my line to my NIN and recently welcomed back, too. The mobile app shows NIN-verified, only for them to block my line again,” said another subscriber.
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NCC orders temporary reactivation of all lines affected by the blockage
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecommunications companies to promptly reconnect any disconnected phone lines during the NIN-SIM verification process.
The order was issued by the NCC in a statement on Monday.
“Since the consumer is our top priority, the Commission has ordered all operators to reactivate any lines disconnected over the weekend. This decision was made in light of the difficulties the blockages have caused consumers, who have limited time to verify their NINs using their SIM cards.
“To enable them to link their NIN to their SIM correctly, reactivated consumers should be aware that this is only available for a short time.”
To keep access to their lines, the NCC asked anyone in the public who hasn’t verified their SIM card to do so “as soon as possible.”