The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has declared that there will be no extension of the deadline for linking Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to National Identification Numbers (NIN), which was set for February 28, 2024.
Consequently, telecommunication companies have been instructed to deactivate 12 million lines that remain unlinked to their owners’ NINs after the deadline lapses.
Reuben Mouka, the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, confirmed this decision, emphasizing the corporation’s adherence to the previously communicated deadline. He stated, “We already issued a public notice in this regard and all the information. If there was an extension, NCC would have communicated that. But as far as I know, there is no extension.”
In a notice issued in December 2023, NCC had directed telecom operators to deactivate SIMs that were not linked to NINs by February 28, 2024. Additionally, the commission instructed Global Satellite Mobile Communications firms to deactivate SIMs whose NINs were submitted but not verified by March 29, 2024, and to suspend services for those with less than five lines linked to unverified NINs by April 15, 2024.
Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), affirmed that telecom operators would comply with NCC’s directive, noting that approximately 12 million SIM cards are at risk of deactivation out of the total 224 million active lines.
Adebayo dismissed speculations about a possible deadline extension, asserting that the original deadline was already extended last year. He stated, “No, the regulator has made it clear that there won’t be any further extension. Let us remember that this ought to have happened last year, but it was extended by the regulator till the 28th of February, 2024.”
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Lagos has issued a restraining order preventing telecom operators from deactivating or barring any SIM card or line that is not linked to a NIN. The order was granted following an application filed by Lagos-based lawyer Olukoya Ogungbeje, who sought to restrain the respondents from enforcing the judgment delivered on May 8, 2023, pending the determination of his appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Despite the court injunction, Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the National Communication Commission, reiterated the importance of linking NINs to SIM cards for critical national security purposes during the ongoing 45th Kaduna International Trade.
