Network service providers in Nigeria have reportedly banned the use of any Subscriber Identification Modules that do not include a National Identity Number, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
This was revealed during an interview that DAILY POST watched on Channels Television by Reuben Morka, a spokesman for the Commission.
He claims that the unsubscribed subscribers were not serious about maintaining their NIN-SIM connection.
He made it clear that strengthening national planning and security is the policy’s top priority.
The exact number of blocked phone lines will be impossible to pin down. Assume, however, that all service providers have excluded everybody who has not provided their NIN.
There was plenty of time before the deadline because the service providers began blocking subscribers.
We anticipate conducting an audit on that by week’s end, as the service providers are required to submit data about blocked subscribers.
“Having a SIM card associated with a person’s identify is the first step. Having a digital identity is one advantage of registering a SIM card. Having NIN under NIMC’s management is a major priority for the Nigerian government. Making ensuring we have those in common is the goal. If you recall, there are a few goals, including national planning and security. It also contains facts about “Know Your Customer,” he added.
You may remember that on February 28, when the NIN-SIM connection expired, the network providers said that they had disconnected 40 million members who did not have a NIN.
Mobile network operators have stated that the next step is to prohibit users from using more than one SIM card without linking their NINs.
This new information follows multiple postponements of deadlines that have occurred since Isa Pantami, the former minister of communications and digital economy, initiated the strategy in 2020.