The Nigeria Commuications Commission (NCC) has directed all the telecommunication companies in Nigeria to immediately bar 12 million lines which have not been linked to the owners’ National Identification Numbers (NINs) as the February 28 deadline date given expires.
Confirming the directive to THE REPORTERSNG on Wednesday, the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Reuben Mouka, said there was no plan for extension of the linkage of Subscriber Identity Module cards to NINs.
NCC had given a notice in a December 2023 asking telcos to bar SIMs that had not been linked to their owners’ NINs by February 28, 2024, a development which had led millions of Nigerians on SIM linkage Rush to the various NIMC Offices across Nigeria.
It further asked the Global Satellite Mobile Communications firms to bar those whose NINs have been submitted but not verified by March 29, 2024; and interdict those who have less than five lines linked to an unverified NIN by April 15, 2024.
In the meantime, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria led by its Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo noted that out of the 224 million active lines, about 12m lines risked deactivation, adding that telecom operators would comply with the NCC’s directive.
