Success Nwanedo
Many residents have swarmed the offices of network providers, including the MTN office in Rumuola axis of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, following the Federal Government’s directive that SIM cards not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN) be barred.
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), had issued April 4, 2022, as the deadline for the disconnection of unregistered SIM cards on the NIN database.
The NIN-SIM linkage registration, which had begun in December 2020 and had been extended multiple times to enable network subscribers to complete the process.
However, in a directive on Monday, the NCC and the Minister for Digital Communications, Isa Pantami tasked Telecommunications companies to bar customers without NIN registration to their sim cards.
Pantami also commended citizens who have completed the registration process, noting that about 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication.
The disconnection which affected over a million subscribers has received public outcry as many subscribers have asked for the grace to complete the process.
Meanwhile, responding to subscribers groaning, MTN Nigeria, on Tuesday, apologised via its Twitter handle, stating: “Y’ello. We apologize for any inconvenience caused you. The communication to implement restrictions on outgoing calls for customers who have not linked their National Identification Number (NIN) to their SIM is a directive from the Federal Government.
