Digital banking service providers including Opay, PalmPay, Smart – cash, Momo, and others are to lose thousands of their customers as telcos begin disconnection of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that are not yet linked to National Identification Number (NIN).
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had given September 14, 2014 as the final deadline for all mobile subscribers to link their SIMs to their NINs while directing the telecoms operators to disconnect all the SIMs that could not keep up with the deadline.
The directive was given after multiple extensions and warnings to Nigerians to comply with the policy designed to improve national security and streamline the identification process. As of March 2024, 153 million of the 219 million active lines across mobile networks including MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile were already connected to NINs, according to data from the NCC.
This puts about 66 million phone lines in danger of being disconnected. Due to unverified NINs, millions of lines were briefly blocked between July 28 and 29, resulting in significant disruptions across the nation.
Data from the first half of 2024 shows that 13.5 million lines were blocked by MTN Nigeria and Airtel for breaking the NIN-SIM linking directive. MTN reported it had blocked 8.6 million lines, while Airtel stated that 8.7 million of its customers had completed verification.
Telecoms operators, including MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile, have urged affected subscribers to link their NINs to avoid permanent disconnection.
Subscribers whose lines have been deactivated still have the opportunity to reconnect by visiting any of the telecoms providers’ service centers or NIMC offices to complete the process.
The directive, originally issued by the NCC in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission, mandates all mobile phone users in Nigeria to link their SIM cards to their unique NINs.
The policy, first introduced in 2020, was part of the government’s efforts to curb insecurity, fraud, and other criminal activities facilitated through unregistered or improperly registered phone lines.
Following multiple deadline extensions by the NCC since December 2023, the NCC said in a statement in August that it expected that no SIM card would remain active without a verified NIN from September 15.
An official at NCC confirmed the disconnections, stating that non-compliant lines would be barred from making calls, sending messages, or using mobile data services until they complete the linkage process. “We will disconnect anyone who refuses to comply; the grace period is over.
The reason why we extended the last time was the misconception of Nigerians who claimed that the NCC wanted to frustrate the August 1 protest,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the national President of the Association of Telecommunications, Informa – tion Technology, Cable Satellite Network Operators and Allied Services Employers of Nigeria (ATICEN), Comrade Adeste JohnWilliams, has urged the NCC to further extend the exercise, saying the fintechs, especially the digital banking operators, would lose their customers and revenue they are supposed to generate.
According to him, the fintechs have been helpful in encouraging inclusion by opening bank accounts for many Nigerians with their SIM numbers.
He noted that many people found it difficult to get enrolled by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). He said linking the SIMs to NIN would also serve as security for the bank account owners.
“The NCC is actually doing the job for security purposes. NCC is a regulatory body that has a better understanding of how technology works. Now they’ve given a deadline, and that deadline was kept.
So, we want to believe that the NCC will see the need to extend the deadline. “Yes, the fintech will surely have some issues in terms of registered SIM, and that is why it’s important in the first place to ensure a number was registered before enrolling it into your banking system.
It is even to the fintech customer’s advantage. If a SIM card is not registered, somebody can collect your money and skip away.
“So, I think the NCC is actually doing the right thing, but we are going to appeal to them to see the need to extend it, because many people in the rural area, even in the city, people find it difficult to get the NIN,” he said.
