The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered that mobile telephone numbers blocked by mobile network operators be reactivated immediately. According to the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Reuben Muoka, the directive is in acknowledgment of the massive restiveness experienced by teeming telecom subscribers over the weekend arising from problems emanating from reverification of their Subscribers Identification Modules (SIMs) tied to their National Identification Numbers (NINs).
Dr. Muoka said that many customers’ lines were barred because their NINs could not be verified. This was based on the NIN-SIM linkage policy that started in December 2020. However prior to the government’s first directive to bar the SIMs of subscribers to telcos with unregistered SIM cards and those not linked to the NINs, the NIN was extended from the time to time – most recently to July 31. 2024. But however, most of the phone lines remain unlinked to verified ones.
The objectives of this NIN-SIM linkage by the Federal Government are aimed at improving national security and ensuring the nationality of the SIM registration database. This policy not only provides a cover for the identity of the user but also avails the umbrella under which citizens can access the benefits of a digital economy.
Due to the considerable inconvenience that the recent blockages caused, the NCC has ordered all affected lines to be reactivated. This reactivation, he said, will last for only a few weeks before subscribers will be asked to confirm that their lines had been duly connected with their NINs. He advised that such confirmation should be done without further delay for the subscribers to continue enjoying the use of their phone lines.
However, the NCC is saying its focus is on the consumer, that it wants to cushion the burdens the subscribers are being subjected to due to the blockages, which it noted are temporary.