The Federal Government of Nigeria has responded to several requests by Nigerians to unblock unlinked NIN SIM cards from making outgoing calls.
Driving the news
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in a public statement insists that barred telecom customers would remain blocked until they link their sim cards with their unique National Identity Number, NIN.
- This is coming after Nigerians appealed to the federal government to unblock unlinked NIN sim cards, as reports say that defaulters have overwhelmed NIN registration centers.
Why it matters
Reports say over 75 million people were barred from making outgoing calls following the directive by the federal government to telecom operators. With the Nigerian government insisting on this penalty, telecom customers have to comply with the directive to regain control of their sim cards.
- On the other hand, telecom operators would suffer a slight decline in revenue due to the high number of unlinked NIN sim cards.
What they are saying
NCC spokesperson Ikechukwu Adinde debunked claims of a possible means of unbarring SIM cards. He also advised the public to disregard publications informing the public of an ongoing recruitment in NCC.
By the numbers
Nigerian Telecoms operators have received NINs from over 125 million sim cards for linkage, verification and authentication. The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, has issued 78 million unique numbers till date.