The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has ordered the reconnection of all MTN lines affected by the mass disconnection over NIN-SIM linkage.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecom company , barred the lines of thousands of subscribers on Sunday .
Subscribers who are yet to link their National Identification Number (NIN) to their MTN lines were cut off the communication grid.
The action came three days before the July 31, 2024 deadline set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Subscribers responded with protests at MTN offices to express their grievances and displeasure at the Telco’s action.
The NCC, wading into the situation, has directed all operators to reactivate all barred lines.
The intervention is however temporary and is mainly to allow subscribers complete the linking procedure.
In a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, the commission said;
“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.”
Back Story
The NIN-linkage policy was introduced in December 2020.
In February 2024, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) told telcos to bar subscribers who failed to link their phone numbers to their NIN on or before February 28, 2024.
The deadline however was extended to April 15, 2024, and again further extended to July 31, 2024.
