After the September 14 deadline set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) expires, telecom companies are anticipated to begin terminating mobile phone lines that are not linked to National Identity Numbers (NIN).
In an August statement, the NCC stated that starting on September 15, no SIM card would be active without a validated NIN.
The telecom regulator had urged customers to visit their service providers as soon as possible to amend their information before the deadline if they had not yet finished their NIN-SIM linkage or were experiencing problems because of verification mismatches.
The NCC reported 219 million active lines across mobile networks, including MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile, as of March 2024; 153 million of those phones were already connected to NIN. This puts about 66 million disconnected lines in danger of being disconnected.
Due to unverified NINs, millions of lines were briefly blocked between July 28 and 29, resulting in significant disruptions across the nation. The NCC reversed its ruling and gave subscribers additional time to comply. But now that the deadline has passed, disconnections will start.
Read also: Nigeria sets NIN-SIM linkage final deadline to September 14th
No more extension
Speaking to the media, an NCC official ruled out the idea of an extension and asked to remain anonymous since he was not permitted to comment on the situation.
The grace period has ended, and we will disconnect anyone who disobeys. We previously extended this because of a misunderstanding by certain Nigerians, who said that the NCC intended to thwart the August 1 protest.
The representative clarified that the commission does not intend to intentionally disconnect subscribers. For various reasons, a sizable portion of Nigerians have chosen not to connect their SIM cards to their NINs.
Even when the Centres might face difficulties, it is still vital to go over and finish the procedure. To be clear, there won’t be any more extensions,” the representative underlined.
NIMC’s portal challenges obstruct the completion of the NIN-SIM linkage
A few weeks prior, users lamented the difficulties of entering their information into the National Identity Management Commission website.
Adeolu Ogungbanjo, the president of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, visited several telecom hubs, including MTN and Airtel, and called the state of affairs “terrible.”
He previously informed our correspondent that the NIN-SIM linkage cannot be completed on time due to the current portal issues, and he said, “Subscribers will struggle to meet the deadline without immediate action.”
He begged that the NCC consider extending the deadline because of the technological problems that plagued the registration procedure last week.
He told the media, “NCC must be commended after a series of extensions, but I think they can still do that for maybe one week.”
Read also: International Telecommunications Union implores Nigeria to define NCC, NITDA’s roles
NCC, NIMC partners to streamline the NIN-SIM linkage process
The NCC and NIMC tightened their collaboration in March to expedite the NIN-SIM connection procedure. To assist citizens in adhering to the directions, both authorities initiated stakeholder training, public awareness programs, and the transmission of factual information.
Financial data from the first half of 2024 shows that MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa blocked 13.5 million lines for breaking the NIN-SIM linking directive.
According to MTN, 8.6 million lines had been stopped, and 8.7 million Airtel subscribers had finished the verification process.
Beginning in December 2020, when the government ordered telcos to ban unregistered SIMs and those without NIN linkages, SIM cards must be linked to NINs.
April 15, 2024, was established as the ultimate date for comprehensively prohibiting users with four or fewer SIMs containing unconfirmed NIN information, following several deadline extensions by the NCC since December 2023.