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NIN: Phone users complain over barred lines after linkage
NIN: Phone users complain over barred lines after linkage
Some telcos subscribers have complained that their phone lines have been blocked despite linking their SIM with personal national identification numbers.
According to NAN, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which regulates Nigeria’s telecommunications companies (Telcos) like MTN, Airtel, and Globacom, has told them to fully block all phone lines whose subscribers have not submitted their NINs or whose NINs have not been verified by February 28, 2024.
Additionally, the NCC said that NINs that had been submitted but not yet verified would be blocked on or before March 29, 2024.
This was also the case for NINs that had five or more lines related to them that had not yet been verified.
Additionally, if less than five lines are connected to an untrusted NIN, those lines will be banned on or before April 15, 2024.
On Tuesday night, NAN went to a lot of telecom customer service centres in Lagos and heard from customers who were upset about blocked lines at all of the stores, but especially at MTN shops.
People who signed up were mad that they could not make calls on their lines before the deadline on February 28.
Some of them said that they had already done what the NCC told them to do and linked their NINs to their SIM cards. They were shocked to find that their lines were still blocked.
A businessman named Marcel Okoh said that he got a message on his MTN line over the weekend, but he didn’t pay attention to it because he was done connecting his NIN-SIM.
Okayoh said that two days after the message was sent, he found that his SIM card had been removed, so he couldn’t use his phone to make calls or recharge it.
“The disconnection is uncalled for because I have done the needful and I should have been given time to make enquiries.”
Aisha Alao, a fashion designer who also has an MTN line, says that the operator cut her off without notice.
According to Alao, when she went to one of the MTN locations, the staff told her she needed to finish a NIN-SIM linkage.
A retired teacher named Mrs. Veronica Maduabunechukwu told NAN that she got a letter from Airtel telling her to disconnect, even though she had already finished her NIN-SIM linkage.
“The queue is still open, and I don’t see why it should be illegal.”
Another MTN user, Mrs. Chinenye Agbanusi, said that she had linked her NIN and SIM cards as early as 2020.
AGBANUSI told MTN she didn’t like how they blocked her queue even though they followed the right steps.
She also said the phone company should update its systems so that people who have already done what they need to do don’t have to deal with the same problems over and over again.
Globacom customer Miss Kanyinsola Oje said she got a message telling her to connect her SIM to NIN so she wouldn’t lose her connection.
After a few days of getting the letter, she realised that her queue was limited.
Miss Nkechi, who works at one of Airtel’s locations in Ketu, told the surveyors that customers had been coming to the office to complain about their SIM being disconnected.
Additionally, Olumide, a Globacom Agent in Ketu, said that customers had been complaining about their lines being blocked since December 2023.
He said that most of the users had said they had already finished the NIN-SIM linkage but were now having problems.
According to Olumide, the subscriber’s NIN registration name might be different from the name they used to register their SIM.
“One more problem could be that the line was given to someone else, so the name on the SIM card might still be that of the previous owner.”
In response to the complaints from customers, Mr. Funsho Aina, Senior Manager, External Relations, MTN, said that most of the banned lines were because they didn’t have enough data on them.
Aina said that it was likely that these users had finished the NIN-SIM linkage, but that the information that was recorded for NIN might not match the information that was registered for their SIM.
He said that if the data reported for NIN and SIM were different, it could affect how it was put together.
“For instance, I use Funsho to register my SIM card and Olufunsho, which is also my name, to register for the NIN.”
“Even if I do the NIN-SIM linkage, in collating by the telco, the technology might not be able to link the names to one person and the line would be disconnected until the discrepancy is corrected,” he mentioned.
However, Aina said that self-help activities could be used to fix these problems and get back together.
He told people to make a Virtual NIN (VNIN) at https://nin.mtn.ng/nin.
“On your smart phone, you can also call *996*3#.
“Select option three for Virtual NIN.” If you want to move forward, enter your NIN and your Enterprise ID, which is “109071.”
“You can also make a VNIN by dialling *346*3*your 11-digit NIN*109071#,” Aina said.
The MTN rep also said that because MTN has more subscribers than other carriers, their customers seemed to be hit more.
NIN: Phone users complain over barred lines after linkage
News
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to honour another invitation extended to him over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Bello went to the anti-graft office with his lawyers in the morning.
The ex-Kogi governor reportedly drove himself to the EFCC’s office in a black Toyota Hilux van with some lawyers.
He was said to have been taken by some operatives of the agency and are currently being grilled.
This is coming after the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed a suit brought by some state governments challenging the constitutionality of the agency.
The EFCC at the last hearing on November 14, sought the adjournment till November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against Bello.
It stated that the 30-day window was still running for the summons earlier issued.
News
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced the immediate suspension of two commissioners with a permanent secretary among others for gross misconduct.
Those suspended are the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Francis Ori, and the Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health.
The suspension followed an incident on Saturday night, when the governor reportedly visited the Ministry of Health’s premises and was said to have found six officials diverting government materials.
Others suspended for three months are the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency
The suspension order was announced by the state Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, who cited alleged misconduct and dereliction of duties as the reasons for the disciplinary actions.
Okpor made the disclosure on Tuesday during a press briefing on the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday at the New Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital.
“Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, respectively
“In view of the development, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Health was directed to take charge of the ministry in the absence of the suspended commissioner.
Governor Nwifuru directed the suspended government officials to hand over all government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government.
News
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
The Federal Government has defended its decision to borrow to address budget deficits, despite surpassing revenue targets in 2024.
Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu clarified this position during a session with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance, Budget, and National Planning. The meeting focused on the 2025–2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
Last week, the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s $2.2 billion loan request to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit in the 2024 budget partially.
During the session, key agency heads, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO Mele Kyari, Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji, presented their revenue reports.
The agencies reported exceeding their 2024 targets.
- Customs Service: Generated ₦5.352 trillion by September 30, surpassing its ₦5.09 trillion target for the year. For 2025, the agency projects ₦6.3 trillion, with a 10% increase planned for 2026.
- NNPCL: Achieved ₦13.1 trillion in revenue, exceeding the ₦12.3 trillion projection for 2024. Kyari announced a ₦23.7 trillion revenue target for 2025.
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- FIRS: Surpassed multiple tax collection goals, including ₦5.7 trillion from company income tax against a ₦4 trillion target. Education tax collections also exceeded expectations, reaching ₦1.5 trillion compared to a ₦70 billion target.
Overall, ₦18.5 trillion of the ₦19.4 trillion 2024 revenue target had been achieved by September, indicating the goal will be exceeded by year-end.
Despite these surpluses, the government insists borrowing remains essential to cover budget gaps and support vulnerable populations.
Bagudu explained, “Even with agencies exceeding revenue targets, borrowing is necessary to address deficits and boost productivity, particularly for the poorest. This aligns with Agenda 2050, which aims for a GDP per capita of $33,000.”
Edun also reiterated that loans were critical for adequately funding the budget.
The committee, led by Senator Sani Musa, questioned the rationale behind the borrowing and demanded further transparency. The Immigration Service was specifically asked to provide documents regarding an “unacceptable PPP arrangement” before the end of the week.
The session underscored the government’s balancing act between increased revenues and fiscal challenges requiring external borrowing.
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
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