The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive to all telecommunication operators to immediately reconnect all phone lines that were blocked during the NIN-SIM verification exercise.
In a statement issued by the Director Public Affair of the commission, Reuben Muoka, NCC recalled that “over the weekend, many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs). This meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.” However, declaring that “the consumer is our priority,” Muoka explained that considering the challenges the blockages had caused, “the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs. Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM” Recently, a major service provider has blocked SIM cards widespread due to the mandatory NIN-SIM linkage directive. This directive
left many users unable to access their essential phone services, causing significant inconvenience and frustration among subscribers.
The NCC’s order aims to promptly address and resolve these issues, ensuring that affected users regain access to their phone services without further delay.
