Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to immediately restore all blocked phone lines due to the non-linkage of National Identification Numbers to SIM cards.
The Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka revealed this in a statement on Monday.
NCC stated that this directive was in response to the widespread disruption caused by the blockages and to prioritise consumer convenience.
According to sources, there were complaints concerning the situation over the weekend whereby many telecom subscribers were unable to access their phone lines after failing to verify their NINs with their SIM cards, resulting in their numbers being blocked in compliance with NIN-SIM linkage regulations.
As of Monday, subscribers whose lines were blocked stormed MTN offices across the country, demanding the reactivation of their blocked phone lines.
In response to the situation, the regulator said, “The consumer is our priority; therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend, because of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs.”
Going memory lane, there was a mandatory linkage of NINs with SIMs, initiated in December 2020. This aimed to enhance national security and ensure an accurate SIM ownership database.
However, many lines remain unverified, regardless of several deadline extensions, including the latest to July 31, 2024.
