Following the expiration of the September 14 deadline announced by the Nigerian Communications Commission, telecom operators are expected to start disconnecting mobile telephone lines that are not linked to National Identification Numbers.
The NCC had earlier in a statement in August said that it expected that no SIM card would remain active without a verified NIN from September 15.
Telecom companies together with the NCC had encouraged subscribers who were yet to complete their NIN-SIM linkage or were facing issues due to verification mismatches to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline.
As at March 2024, data from the NCC showed there were 219 million active lines across mobile networks such as MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile, with 153 million already linked to NIN. This leaves approximately 66 million unlinked lines at risk of disconnection.
Between July 28 and 29, millions of lines were temporarily barred due to unverified NINs, and caused widespread disruptions in the country.
Accusations had followed the disconnection where the NCC was accused of frustrating the End Bad Governance hunger protest.
The NCC had then reversed its decision, giving subscribers more time to comply. However, with the deadline now expired, disconnections will commence.
The NCC had declared that no further extensions would be given after this deadline.
Subscribers had trooped to telecom offices worldwide to update their sim registration details.
The NIMC and NCC in March had strengthened their partnership to streamline the NIN-SIM linkage process. Both agencies launched public awareness campaigns, stakeholder training, and the dissemination of accurate information to help citizens comply with the directives.
Telecom operators like MTN had also conducted sessions to educate subscribers on how to update their sim registration details online.
According to financial results from the first half of 2024, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa barred a combined 13.5 million lines for non-compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage directive.
MTN reported it had blocked 8.6 million lines, while Airtel stated that 8.7 million of its customers had completed verification.
The compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM cards began in December 2020, when the government ordered telcos to bar unregistered SIMs and those without NIN links.
Following multiple deadline extensions by the NCC since December 2023, September 15, 2024, was set as the final deadline for fully barring subscribers with SIMs having unverified NIN details.
