Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Nigerians are in for a bigger trouble besides the economic hardship currently being faced as millions of subscribers would be barred from enjoying telecommunications services nationwide beginning from today.
This is sequel to the decision by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to bar the lines of those who have not done their NIN-SIM linkage.
The NCC had last December handed a directive to telecommunications operators; Globacom, MTN, Airtel and 9Mobile to ban SIMs not linked to owners’ NINs on their networks by the said date.
Truth Live News Media reports that the NCC has fixed February 28, 2024 as deadline.
The linkage of the NIN to SIM is a policy by the Federal Government through the NCC to improve the integrity and transparency of the SIM registration process and consolidate the achievement of the exercise.
The linking involves validating the NIN with the National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC) and matching the subscriber’s NIN records with the SIM registration information to ensure proper subscriber identification.
Speaking with newsmen in a telephone interview, the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka said: “the deadline remains tomorrow, February 28,2024”.
He added: “NCC has not issued notification that the deadline has changed. It still remains February 28. If the deadline is changed, the Commission will issue a notification in that regard but as it stands now, there is no change to the deadline”.
However, it was reported that a Federal High Court in Lagos through Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa restrained telcos from deactivating or barring any line or SIM which has not been linked to the NIN by their subscribers. But, asked whether the NCC is aware of the court, injunction, Mr. Muoka said he is not aware of such court order.
On his own part, the National President, National Association of Telecommunication Subscribers (NATCOMS), Adeolu Ogunbanjo appealed to the NCC to extend the deadline till March 31,2024.
Hear him, ‘I appeal to the NCC to extend the deadline by additional 31 days. This is because many of the subscribers have not done the linkage.
“Some have one problem or the other which they need to resolve I personally visited some of the centers today and I saw crowd everywhere.
“You know the behaviours of we (Nigerians), we don’t take things seriously until the last minute. So, I plead for a grace period of one month”.