The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced September 14 as the “final deadline” for the NIN-SIM linkage exercise.
A statement by the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, directed all mobile network operators (MNOs) to complete the verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024.
The commission said over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to a NIN so far, “reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 percent, a substantial increase from 69.7 percent in January 2024.”
The NCC said the complete linkage of all SIM cards to NINs is essential for enhancing the trust and security of Nigeria’s digital economy.
This, according to the commission, also promotes financial inclusion and drives economic growth.
The NCC said through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), it has uncovered alarming cases where individuals possessed an unusually high number of SIM cards—some exceeding 100,000.
The commission reiterated its commitment to working with security agencies and other stakeholders to crack down on the sale of pre-registered SIMs, thereby safeguarding national security and ensuring the integrity of mobile numbers in Nigeria.
The NCC encouraged Nigerians who are yet to complete their NIN-SIM linkage or have faced issues due to verification mismatches to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline.
The NIN-SIM linkage policy began in December 2020, when the federal government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NINs.
The NCC had in April 15, 2024, was set as the deadline for the full network, barring subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details.
But the deadline was later reviewed to July 31, 2024, “to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified.”
Amid the implementation of the policy on July 27, the facilities of telcos were vandalised by aggrieved Nigerians who were barred from making and receiving calls due to their “inability to verify” the linkage of “their national identification numbers (NINs) with their subscriber identification modules (SIMs)”.
Following the uproar, the NCC ordered telecommunication operators to immediately reconnect all phone lines that were blocked.
The agency said the reactivation was for a limited period to allow customers “to properly link their NIN to their SIM.”
