The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has set September 14 as the deadline for customers to link Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) to National Identity Numbers (NINs).
In a statement by Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs at NCC, the Commission noted that till date, over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to a NIN, reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 per cent, a substantial increase from 69.7 per cent in January 2024.
As of March 2024, data from the NCC shows that there were 219 million active lines across the mobile networks of MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile.
Recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.
Since December 2023, the Commission has reviewed the deadline a few times.
The NCC added that “Through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the NCC has uncovered alarming cases where individuals possessed an unusually high number of SIM cards—some exceeding 100,000.
“Therefore, to ensure full compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage policy, the NCC has directed all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to complete the mandatory verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024,”
The telcom regulator added that effective September 15, 2024, it expects that no SIM operating in Nigeria will be without a valid NIN.
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