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By Chinenye Anuforo [email protected]
As some Nigerians lament over the deactivation of their lines following the expiration of the NIN-SIM linkage deadlines, members of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said they had to swiftly comply because the matter borders on national security.
ALTON said the telcos barred over 40 million lines that did not have the National Identity Numbers (NINs) linked to their SIM cards.
Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, while commenting on the development, said members prioritised security over profit, in the overall interest of Nigeria.
He said: “Operators are not concerned about the loss. We must prioritize security over profit. That is why we are strictly adhering to the directive of NCC.”
Adebayo added that while the number of lines barred is alarming, more telecom subscribers will get blocked after March 29, 2024, in line with a December 2023 directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The directive tasked telcos to bar lines whose NINs have been submitted but not verified by March 29, 2024 and bar those with less than five lines linked to an unverified NIN by 15 April 2024.
MTN Nigeria, in line with NCC directive, had in its financial statement, revealed that it has disconnected 4.2 million lines after the February 28 deadline.
It said, “We also had approximately 4.2 million lines disconnected for which the subscribers did not submit their NIN. Several of these lines were low-value subscribers, minimising the revenue impact.”
Meanwhile, the national president, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Deolu Ogunbanjo has vowed to take NCC to court if it refuses to extend the deadline of NIN-SIM linkage to March 31, 2024.
Ogunbanjo said that he understands that the government is trying to tackle insecurity through the NIN-SIM linkage.
“That notwithstanding, we are appealing to NCC to extend the deadline to March 31st, 2024. That will be the final deadline. If NCC refuses to listen to our plea, then we will have no choice than to take the regulator to court,” he stated.
