According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, there is a chance that the more than 40 million phone lines that were blocked for not connecting to National Identity Numbers will soon be taken back.
The NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, disclosed this on Tuesday.
As per his statement, the telecom operators’ ban on the phone lines has caused them to miss the deadline set by the commission on February 28, 2024, which requires telecom users to connect their SIMs to their NIN.If, within the next 180 days, nothing is done about the barred lines, he declared.
They can only make and receive calls; they will not be able to receive calls. However, after the allotted time, they would not be allowed to make calls and might have to give up their lines to their individual service provider in a year.
To unbar your phone lines, however, the NCC’s Director of Publicity explains to our correspondent the steps involved in the retrieval process.
1. If you are a subscriber who has not registered for your NIN, register your SIM card at one of the authorized locations nationwide.
2. Next, use the channels your service provider has provided to link the NIN with your SIM.
3. To link your SIM using the channels your service providers have provided, or to visit your service provider center and present the NIN, subscribers with registered NINs only need to do so.