By Chinenye Anuforo
Forty-eight hours after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) mandated telecommunications companies to restore access to blocked phone lines, millions of Nigerians remain disconnected from their mobile networks. This situation has sparked widespread frustration and anger among affected users.
In a decisive move, the NCC issued a directive instructing all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to promptly unblock the lines that were restricted over the weekend. The Commission emphasized the critical role of telecommunications services in supporting the nation’s economy and stressed the urgency of adhering to the order. Despite this clear mandate, the delay in restoring service has left many subscribers in a state of exasperation.
However, despite the clear directive, telcos appear to have turned a deaf ear to the NCC’s order. Numerous complaints have flooded social media platforms, with affected Nigerians expressing frustration and demanding swift intervention.
“It is baffling that the same telecommunications companies that can swiftly bar lines at the slightest suspicion can find it challenging to reverse the process when directed by the regulatory authority. If the technology exists to instantaneously block lines, it is reasonable to expect that the same technology can be employed to restore them with equal alacrity”, some subscribers argued.
As the situation persists, calls for stricter sanctions against the defiant telcos are growing louder. Nigerians are demanding that the NCC takes decisive action to compel compliance and protect the rights of consumers.
In response to the reports of continued blocked lines, a reliable source from MTN clarified that the NCC specifically directed all operators to reactivate lines that were disconnected over the weekend due to the short timeframe available for consumers to undertake the verification of their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their SIMs.
According to the source, the company deactivated approximately six million lines during the weekend, and these have all been unbarred in accordance with the NCC’s directive.
“The regulator was specific in its directives and we have complied,” the source stated. “We have reconnected all lines deactivated within the specified timeframe as directed by the NCC. There are about six million lines and we have reactivated them.”
For 9Mobile, the subscribers did not only report difficulty in unbarring their lines but also a complete loss of network service since the weekend.
Specifically, Festus Imoye, a 9Mobile customer, told Daily Sun that he has been without network service since last Friday despite having sufficient call credit and data. “I am not even talking of baring my line. I don’t know if the line was barred or not because since last Friday, my 9Mobile line has been useless because there is no network on it. The service has been very poor and no explanation to the customers as to why it has been so. In fact, I am tired of the network”, he said.
Daily Sun investigation can confirm Imoye’s allegations as many of the telco’s subscribers corroborated him. Repeated attempts to reach a 9Mobile spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful.
In their own part, a source from Globacom in a telephone interview stated the company has unbarred all lines disconnected during the weekend but urges the subscribers who have not link their SIMs to do so to avoid disconnecting them in the future. “We have reconnected all subscribers disconnected as directed by NCC. But, I urge subscribers to link their SIMs with NINs as directed by the NCC to avoid future disconnection”, the source said.
Speaking to a source familiar with the development at Airtel, he explained the company did not block any subscriber last weekend and said there was a system in place that will automatically block subscribers that did not meet the NIN-SIM linkage deadline as they follow the NCC directive.
“So, any subscriber that did not meet the requirements would be blocked automatically because that is the NCC directive”.
He however said that any subscriber whose line is blocked as related to NIN-SIM linkage should use the Airtel code for the service to rectify it.
The NCC has not yet commented on MTN’s explanation or the continued reports of blocked lines. All efforts to get the regulator to speak proved abortive as the NCC spokesperson did not take his calls.