- Commission orders immediate reactivation of lines
- Aggrieved subscribers attack MTN offices
- Deactivation has nothing to do with planned protests, says ALTON
Telecom sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), yesterday stopped telecom service providers from further barring of subscribers’ telephone lines.
It ordered immediate reactivation of lines disconnected at the weekend due to National Identity Number (NIN)/ Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) verification non-compliance.
It said in a statement that the directive had become imperative considering the number of times the commission had reviewed the NIN/SIM issues and the need to give consumers enough time to meet deadlines.
NCC urged telecom companies to immediately restore lines disconnected over the weekend and allow consumers to sort their verification issues out within the period granted by the government.
The statement by Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, reads: “Over the weekend many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access 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 laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.
“The compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM 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 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 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.”
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the NIN/SIM link registration deadline had earlier been set for July 31.
Adebayo reacted in a statement he jointly signed with ALTON Executive Secretary, Mr Gbolahan Awonuga.
ALTON is the official industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria.
Adebayo said the matter was that the harmonisation exercise of the SIM registration database and national identity database had been ongoing for several months.
He said the harmonisation was aimed at improving the integrity of the National SIM registration database.
“Customers who had their lines blocked recently are those who their service providers found a mismatch between their records on both databases.
“We advise such customers to contact their service providers through communicated channels for resolution of the issue.
“However, all operators have put in place measures to ensure that anyone whose line is blocked can unblock it.”
“I urge subscribers to follow some easy steps. For Airtel: Dial *121# and input your eleven-digit NIN number.
“The subscriber will receive a confirmation message that he/she has successfully unbarred the Airtel SIM card.
“For EMTS: 9Mobile: Dial *200*8#, and for Glo: Dial *109*Your NIN number#.For example, if your is NIN 12345678901, you would dial *109*12345678901#. Then follow the prompts to submit your NIN for linkage,” he said.
According to Adebayo, if an MTN line is barred, all the subscriber needs to do is visit https://nin.mtn.ng to check the NIN status, and if it is not linked, the subscriber should proceed to link it.
“During the process, an OTP would be requested, as well as the NIN. After giving consent and submitting the NIN linking request, it will be done and the line will be automatically unbarred.
“For Smile: Send your valid NIN to mailto:customercare@smile.com.ng or call 07020444444, you will be asked to provide consent. Upon receipt of customer consent and successful verification of NIN, the line will be unbarred.
“For Spectranet: Call toll-free line 8002345678 and submit your NIN but you will have to get your KYC done at Spectranet Store.
“Customer can go to the Spectranet website and submit their NIN online, but to complete the process they will have to do KYC at the Spectranet Store.
“In case these online steps fail, subscribers can physically visit any walk-in centres of operators to unblock their lines,” the ALTON boss said.
Adebayo absolved his members of trying to frustrate the proposed nationwide protest by barring subscriber lines or restricting internet access.
He said it was coincidental that the barring of lines by the telcos was coming at a time when some persons were preparing for a protest.
From Lagos to Jos, Oshogbo to Akure and Ekiti, the story was the same: anger and frustration of hundreds of thousands of telephone subscribers who woke up over the weekend to discover they couldn’t make business and family calls on their phones because they had rudely been barred by their service providers over what the telcos have blamed on glitches in their SIM/NIN linkage.
Mrs Regina Elehiafe from Igbara Odo, Ekiti State, lamented that she woke up on Saturday to discover that her line and that of her aged mother had been barred.
“I am a small business owner and my mother in her mid-eighties lives with me. We depend on our mobile phones to do our business. We were barred and directed to go to Ado Ekiti, the state capital for whatever we have to do,” she lamented.
From Jos, the Plateau State capital, came another frustrated subscriber, Maxwell Daniel, who said he had not been able to make calls or receive messages since Saturday and was instructed to visit an MTN shop to resolve the issue.
“I attempted making a call Saturday morning at about 7am, I was told that I can’t make calls, it instructed me to visit any MTN shop, I went near my house, I saw a multitude of people, and I was not able to be reactivated; as we speak Sir, I can’t make calls, can’t log in either Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp since Saturday, can’t even access my bank transactions,” he said.
Another victim, Maimuna Mohammed, expressed surprise as MTN had congratulated her for linking her NIN in February 2024 but was later barred.
“It’s so ironic that a company that congratulated me earlier in the year would turn back to yank me off its network,” she said.
John, an elderly man said he had his network barred on Sunday afternoon and threatened to demand damages if not reactivated.
The barring has caused inconvenience, with many unable to access banking transactions, social media, and other essential services.
MTN Plateau state office is yet to comment on the matter, leaving subscribers frustrated and seeking solutions.
The situation remains unresolved, with thousands still barred from accessing MTN services.
In Oshogbo, Osun State capital, subscribers stormed the MTN office to protest against the barring of their SIMs.
Some who had formed long queues lost patience. They blocked the main roads in front of the MTN office with planks and tyres which forced road users to make a U-turn and use alternative roads in the area.
A viral video sighted by The Nation showed a woman expressing worry that the angry mob may raze the office.
