…as Mob vandalises MTN office in Lagos
The Nigerian Communications Commission NCC has ordered the immediate reactivation of lines affected by NIM-SIM verification issues.
This is coming on the heels of the rising tension in the land because of the planned protest by some Nigerians agitating for an end to bad governance
Over the weekend many telecom subscribers/consumers could not have access to their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).
This meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with the laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.
Telecom consumers and the public will recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.
Since December 2023, the Commission has since reviewed the deadline a few times; April 15, 2024 was set as the deadline for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details. This deadline was then reviewed to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines are yet to be linked with verified NINs.
The objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate. The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in verifying and protecting users’ identities while also providing a critical infrastructure that assures access to the benefits of a robust digital economy for the citizenry.
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 in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs. Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.
Members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.
Meanwhile, a large crowd of angry MTN subscribers in the early hours of Monday vandalised the telecommunications company’s office in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State in response to the network blocking subscribers due to a mismatch in their National Identification Number and SIM registration.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the mob could be seen destroying a barricade fence just outside the MTN office.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a response to the circulated video on X.com stated that the DPO of FESTAC and his men had successfully restored normalcy and peace at the scene.
“This should not be the way to go!
“Meanwhile, the DPO FESTAC and his men responded immediately after they got this report. They succeeded in restoring normalcy and are still on the ground to maintain peace.
PUNCH Metro earlier reported that a large crowd of aggrieved subscribers had besieged MTN offices across the country to express their frustration and disappointment over the telecom company’s disconnection of their phone numbers.
Some of the subscribers arrived at the MTN offices with long queues formed at the entrances.
This is a reaction to the directive of the Nigeria Communications Commission to disconnect SIM numbers (telephone lines) not linked to the National Identification Numbers, which was scheduled to take effect on July 31, 2024.