The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive to telecommunication operators. They are to reverse the blocking of phone lines that were not linked to National Identity Numbers (NIN) as was directed.
The NCC had earlier directed that all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) numbers not linked to NINs be disconnected effective July 31, 2024.
On Sunday, customers began to notice that MTN, a major mobile operator, had deactivated numerous users’ mobile lines.
However, some of the customers grew agitated when they suspected telecoms were carrying out the directive to sabotage the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was supposedly to commence on Thursday, August 1.
The reverse directive from NCC may be a knee-jerk reaction. Restive customers reportedly besieged some telecom companies, protesting the deactivation of their numbers, and the situation could rupture out of control given the country’s charged political and security atmosphere.
On Monday, the NCC quickly issued a statement ordering telcos to reactivate all blocked SIMs. It did not clarify whether this directive is for the time being or a complete policy reversal regarding the SIM-NIN verification exercise of the last three years.
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 has instructed telecom operators to reverse the blocking of phone lines due to the NIN-SIM verification exercise, following protests from customers and suspicions of sabotage against the #EndBadGovernance movement.){kind=link}