The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has posited that the over 40 million barred lines, do not have the National Identity Numbers (NINs) attached to their SIM cards.
Chairman, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP on Monday, averred that operators had to comply with the disconnection notice of the Nigerian Communications Commission, as it is a matter of security.
On the huge loss incurred by operators, Adebayo said, “Operators are not concerned about the loss. We must prioritise security over profit. That is why we are strictly adhering to the directive of NCC.”
Recall that as part of their initial compliance with enforcing the SIM-NIN rule, the telecom companies partially blocked approximately 72.77 million active phone lines in April 2022. The nation had 197.77 million active telecom lines at the time.
When asked if the deadline can be extended, the chairman averred that, “We have been appealing to Nigerians to link their NIN to their SIMs since about two years ago. I think that is enough time.”
There were 224.7 million active lines in the nation as of December 2023. Additionally, telecom providers operating under the ALTON umbrella warned that additional lines would face blocking by the end of March.
By March 29, 2024, telcos were instructed by the NCC to block lines whose NINs had been submitted but not validated, and by April 15, 2024, they were to block lines with fewer than five lines connected to an unverified NIN.
MTN Nigeria, in line with the NCC directive, had in its financial statement, revealed that it had disconnected 4.2 million lines after the February 28 deadline.
It said, “We also had approximately 4.2 million lines disconnected for which the subscribers did not submit their NIN. Several of these lines were low-value subscribers, minimising the revenue impact.”
Meanwhile, the national president, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Deolu Ogunbanjo has vowed to take NCC to court if it refuses to extend the deadline of NIN-SIM linkage to March 31st, 2024.
Ogunbanjo told LEADERSHIP that he understands that the Nigerian government is trying to tackle insecurity through the NIN-SIM linkage.
“However, we are appealing to NCC to extend the deadline to March 31st, 2024. That will be the final deadline. If NCC refuses to listen to our plead, then we will have no choice than to take the regulator to court,” he stated.
He lamented that over 40 million lines have been barred, adding that, “There is so much hardship in the country at the moment. Is this the gift Dr. Aminu Maida promised to give to us, when he was appointed as the executive vice chairman of NCC? We welcomed him when he was appointed as EVC of NCC. He should not punish us by barring our lines. The queues at the various National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) centres are alarming. We are only appealing that he should be considerate.”
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