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NCC orders MTN, Glo, others to bar SIMs without NIN as operators pledge compliance

Millions of telecom subscribers would wake up this morning and discover that they are unable to make or receive voice calls and do other things, including internet services/online banking on their mobile phones, no thanks to the wholesale implementation of the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which yesterday reiterated its earlier directive to mobile network operators (MNOs) to bar telephone subscribers not linked to their National Identification Numbers (NIN) on or before February 28, 2024.

Its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Dr Aminu Maida, who spoke at the NCC’s Special Day at the 45th Kaduna International Trade Fair said the directive earlier issued to the MNOs in that respect stood.

In a telephone conversation, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Reuben Mouka, said the directive of the NCC remained sacrosanct since no retraction had been made to vitiate the earlier directive of the Commission.

MNOs have also pledged to carry out the directive of the Commission. Acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), the group, through its chairman Gbenga Adebayo, said as responsible corporate organisation, the operators will comply.

“We are following the instruction of the NCC to disconnect erring subscribers. We are going to comply with the directive of the NCC,” he said during a telephone interview yesterday.

Represented by Mr Mouka in Kaduna, the CEO noted that as a matter of critical national security, telecom consumers must link their NIN to their SIM.

He reaffirmed that the February 28th deadline given to telecom operators to bar subscribers who failed to link their NIN to SIM, stands.

Mouka said: “To this end, the Nigerian Communication Commission has directed all telecommunication operators to bar phone lines of subscribers whose lines are not linked to their NINs on or before February 28, 2024”

“As a regulator of the telecommunications sector in the country, the Commission carries out its functions to ensure service availability, affordability, and sustainability for all categories of consumers, who are leveraging ICT/Telecoms to drive personal and business activities,” he said.

“Conversely, as we promote economic growth through the development of local content, we must also address the challenges faced by consumers and NCC is committed to protecting their rights while ensuring their satisfaction.

Maida therefore urged telecom firms to prioritize customer satisfaction and uphold the highest standards of service delivery, noting that the commission has implemented measures to safeguard the interests of consumers and businesses alike.

One such measure, he said, was the NCC’s directive on May 17, 2023, that all licensed MNOs commence implementation of approved Harmonised Short Codes for providing services to Nigerian telecom consumers.

“The new initiative is enabling consumers using the over 224 million active mobile telephone lines in Nigeria to use the same codes to access services across all networks,” he added.

On the order of Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos restraining the NCC and MNOs from executing the directive, the NCC said it was no served copy of the judgment. Therefore, the directive would be implemented.

A suit filed by a lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, had argued that the action was an infringement on his fundamental rights.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Communications Communication (NNC), via a December 15, 2023, letter, directed mobile network operators to implement full network barring on all SIMs for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs and those without verified NINs.

NCC directed that all SIMs for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs, are to be barred on or before 28 February 2024.

In order not to be caught in the web, subscribers have besieged both NIMC enrolment centres and customer care outlets of the MNOs.