Telecom Subscribers Protest Line Barring As July 31 Deadline Nears

Nigerians have taken over social media to protest the barring of their mobile lines, even as they claimed that their cell numbers are linked to their National Identity Number (NIN).

For instance, Rabiu Abdulkadir with X handle @Rerbiu said his MTN line which he has used for over 10 years was suddenly barred. “We deserve to be treated with respect and dignity in this country. I’m extremely disappointed that my MTN line, which I’ve used faithfully for over 10 years, was suddenly barred this morning without any prior notification. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve linked it to my NIN,” he added.
As for Ebenezer Julius with X handle @EbenezerKalu3, his glo line was barred three weeks ago. “Mine is Glo. It was barred for over two weeks

I’ve suspended work for two days in that two weeks just to get it fixed. The customer care at the service centre is coming up with reasons why I can’t get it fixed. Imagine telling me around 12pm that they can only attend to 200 customers. Though Glo has messaged me. I hope they rectify the issue as soon as possible,” he cried out.
In response, MTN has advised users to visit MTN office for re-linking, adding that users can re-link their lines without visiting an MTN office.

Recall that in December 2023, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), directed all telecommunications operators in Nigeria to undertake full network barring of all SIMs that have failed to submit their NIN on or before 28 February 2024.

Likewise, customers that have submitted their NINs, but remain unverified were to be barred on 15 April 2024. This deadline was, however, shifted to July 31, 2024. Furthermore, guidelines were issued whereby no customer can have more than 4 active SIMs and all such excess SIMs must be barred by 29 March 2024.

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This directive is part of the ongoing federal government NIN-SIM harmonisation exercise requiring all subscribers to provide valid NIN information to update SIM registration records.

MTN in March disclosed that it had disconnected 4.2 million lines from its network as of February 28 this year in line with the NCC’s directive.

Airtel Africa, in its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, said it could lose up to $4 million in monthly revenue due to the ongoing verification of customers’ NIN in Nigeria.

The company disclosed that as the extended deadline of July 31, 2024, draws near, it has not been able to validate the NIN of almost 4.9 million consumers. Nonetheless, the telco promised to keep interacting with the impacted clients in order to verify their NINs.

CEO of Airtel Africa, Sunil Taldar, stated that Airtel Nigeria has been following the law by blocking all SIMs not linked with the owners’ NINs.

“Currently we are engaging with approximately 4.9 million customers whose NINs are yet to be verified, with approximately $3 million-$4 million of monthly revenue at risk,” he added.

According to him, the telecom company had barred all users without NINs and users with more than four active SIM cards, which had a very little effect on its earnings. Since the directive’s issuance in December 2023, 8.7 million users have already been validated, he continued.