30 million lines not properly linked to NINs — Telcos

Gbenga Adebayo, the president of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has disclosed that over 30 million lines have not been properly linked to a National Identification Number.

These lines are mainly in car trackers, MiFi units, WiFi devices, and Point of Sale (PoS) machines. He said this during a recent interview with News Central on the back of recent chaos caused by the unblocking of lines not connected to their NINs.

“The numbers are staggering,” Adebayo, the president of the umbrella body of telcos, said. “We are looking at potentially over 30 million SIM cards, including those in various digital devices, that have not been properly linked to the NIN. Many of these SIMS are in car trackers, POS machines, MiFis, WiFis, and many other devices that use SIMs to operate.”

Over the weekend, telcos began barring phone lines not linked with NINs days before the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s July 31, 2024 deadline. Since February 2024, telcos have implemented a phased disconnection of lines in compliance with an NCC directive. At the end of 2023, the regulator asked telcos to disconnect lines that had not been successfully linked with an NIN across three phases, ending July 31, 2024.

Read also: SIM-NIN: MTN, Airtel bar 13.5m lines in six months

About 50 million lines have been impacted by earlier rounds of disconnections. Nigeria has 219.01 million connected lines as of March 2024.

Some subscribers affected by this round of disconnections claimed that their SIMs and NIN had been linked. According to Adebayo, these subscribers were disconnected because of discrepancies in records between telecom operators and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

“There are instances where individuals provided their NINs, but the information did not match our records,” Adebayo noted. “These discrepancies must be resolved at service centers to ensure proper verification.”

While the timing of the disconnections coincided with nationwide protests, Adebayo emphasised that there was no link as the action had begun long before the protests.

“Unfortunately, the disconnection coincided with the planned protests, but it had nothing to do with stifling communication,” he said. “We are guided by our social contract with subscribers and provide services on a non-discriminatory basis.”

The ALTON boss further highlighted the role of accurate data in building a reliable national database. He stressed the importance of individuals providing truthful and consistent information during registration to avoid future complications.

“To have a reliable and equipped national database, all of us must contribute accurate information,” Adebayo urged. “This database can only be as reliable as the information provided by the public.”

Public outcry over the implementation of the last phase of disconnection eventually made the NCC extend its deadline to a yet-to-be-set date.

“The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend… Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM,” the commission said.

In compliance with the NCC’s directive, 13.5 million MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa lines remained barred in the first half of 2024. The telcos revealed this in their financial statements for the period ending June 30, 2024. These lines were those affected by the first two phases of disconnections.