NCC orders immediate reactivation of phone lines barred by telcos

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered the immediate reactivation of cell phone lines barred by telecommunication companies, saying it gave the directive by considering the challenges the blockages have caused many telecom subscribers.
This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Monday by the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Dr Reuben Muoka.
Muoka recalled that over the weekend, many telecom subscribers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).
According to him, this meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.
“Telecoms 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,’’ Muoka said.
According to him, the objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate.
He said the NIN-SIM linkage policy aids verification and protection of users’ identities and provides critical infrastructure that enables citizens to access the benefits of the digital economy.
“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.’’
This action, he added, was being taken in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs.
He reminded deactivated consumers that the reactivation for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.
He urged members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.