In a sweeping directive, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered all mobile telecommunication operators across the country to deactivate phone lines lacking valid National Identity Numbers (NINs) or those with unverified NINs.
This critical move was relayed to the public through an official statement issued by MTN on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) platform. The statement, signed by Uto Ukpanah, MTN Nigeria’s Company Secretary, highlighted specific deadlines for adhering to this directive.
According to Ukpanah, this mandate falls under an industry-wide directive compelling phone lines without submitted NINs to be barred on or before February 28, 2024.
Additionally, lines with submitted but unverified NINs, particularly where five or more lines are linked to an unverified NIN, are set to be deactivated by March 29, 2024.
“As part of these efforts, we are enhancing the capacity of our various service outlets to make the process smoother and more efficient. We are committed to ensuring that our subscribers comply with the NCC directive and will continue to work with the National Identity Management Commission to accelerate the NIN verification process,” he stated.
Ukpanah, however, expressed the company’s readiness to cooperate with the Federal Government in ensuring compliance with the industry-wide directive from NCC.
He said, “As a law-abiding corporate citizen and in line with our operating licence requirements, we are committed to complying with the industry-wide directive from the NCC and will provide further updates to investors on progress and potential impact with the release of FY 2023 results.”
However, when reached for comment, an anonymous staff member at the NCC expressed unawareness of this specific development, suggesting that such directives typically route through the operators via the legal and regulatory services department, bypassing the Public Affairs channel.