Telecommunications operators in Nigeria said it has complied with the directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to bar out-going calls on subscriber lines that are not in compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy requirement that all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) must be linked with a National Identification Number (NIN).
In a statement through its umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the operators said they are committed to complying with the instructions and call on telecommunication subscribers who have not obtained and/or linked a NIN to their SIMs, to do so at any of the designated centres.
The directive followed multiple extensions of the deadline, which have been granted by the Federal Government to allow subscribers to complete the NIN-SIM linkage.
“We remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications,” the statement jointly signed by Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON and Gbolahan Awonuga, Head, Operations at ATCON said.
The federal government had yesterday barred all out-going calls for SIM Card not linked to the National Identity Number (NIN), advising owners of such SIM cards to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.
“Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App,” a statement jointly signed by the Nigerian Communications Commission and National Identity Management Commission has revealed.
The statement revealed that as of date, over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication. Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs to date.