Block SIM cards without NIN Dec 30, NCC orders telecom firms

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications companies 14 days to block SIM cards not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN).

It said the directive is based on the outcome of a meeting of key stakeholders in the communications industry as convened by Isa Ali Pantami, the minister of communications and digital economy, on December 14, 2020.

Already, the NCC said in a statement that a ministerial task force, comprising the minister and all the CEOs, has been set up to monitor compliance by all networks. ​“Violations of this directive will be met by stiff sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating licence,” it added.

According to the commission, the key stakeholders concluded that operators should “require all their subscribers to provide valid National Identification Number (NIN) to update SIM registration records.”

It stated, “The submission of NIN by subscribers will take place within two weeks (between December 16, 2020 and December 30, 2020).

“After the deadline, ALL SIMs without NINs are to be blocked from the networks.”

Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, citing the statement by the NCC, shared the directive on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

“The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others) in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN), the Commission has said in a statement,” the presidential aide tweeted.

Meanwhile, Nigerians, home and abroad, have taken to the same social media platform to express their displeasure at the new policy direction.