…as FG deactivate 72m telephone lines not linked to NIN
Following the deactivation of over 72 million Nigerians on Tuesday by telecommunication companies as directed by the Federal Government, hundreds of Nigerians across the country besieged many of the centres provided by telecommunication companies to ensure that their customers’National Identification Numbers (NIN) are linked to their SIMs.
Moving around Lagos, Business Standards discovered that a lot of people were eager to have their NIN linked to their SIMs as they complained that they cannot call out to reach their loved ones or carry out business transactions. Some of them did claim however that they were only able to send text messages and use internet.
One of the Glo centres at Alapere, Lagos was parked full of people who are eager to their lines activated. The official of the company had hectic time trying to ensure that the people are orderly.
Following the Federal Government directive on NIN-SIM, over 72 million subscribers, whose SIMs have not been linked to their National Identity Numbers have been deactivated.
The Federal Government had ordered telecommunications companies to immediately bar all outgoing calls on all unlinked lines following the expiration of the verification exercise on March 31.
In a statement announcing the order, the FG had said the enforcement of the directive would begin from Monday, April 4, 2022, adding that the deactivation of unlinked lines was necessary to address the growing insecurity in the country.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, there were 197.77 million active telecom subscribers as of February 2022.
The commission said 125 million subscribers have submitted their NINs for verification, leaving 72.77 million subscribers on the receiving end of the Federal Government’s new directive.
Some officials of telecommunication companies confirmed Tuesday that they have started carrying out the government directive. “We are required by law to oblige the government when they ask us to disconnect SIMs. It is part of the Act setting us up,” he said.
He stated further that the NCC has officially directed them to carry implement the directive by the Federal Government, and “this we began today, hence you see customers trooping out to comply also.”
According to him, the delaying in government action was because of the inability of NIMC to play its own role very well. But now that it seems it has been able to get things fixed, things would work out smoothly
The President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, is reported to have described the move by the Federal Government as premature.
He said the verification exercise needs time before the policy can be implemented, Punch reports.
He said, “We just woke up to the news that ongoing calls will be blocked. The minister should understand that this is too premature, premature in the sense that we started this in December 2020.
He added that the verification ought to be an ongoing exercise, adding that if the minister wants to put a timeline, he should meet with the operators to know how many people have been linked.
Olusola Bello