The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has issued a directive to any mobile network operators. The directive is to deactivate all SIM cards which can not be duly registered with valid national identity cards. It is to be done within 14 days. Operators require ALL their subscribers to supply a valid National number (NIN). It is required to update SIM registration records. The submission of NIN by subscribers will happen within a fortnight (from 16th to 30th December 2020).
The move, if effected, will see many mobile lines blocked. With a population of 200 million, the West African country has an approximate number of over 198 million active mobile lines. Only 41.5 million people have registered for their identity cards. This was done as of May 2020. Some Nigerians were furious over the NCC actions. They claimed the time allocation wasn’t adequate. The move is seen, thanks to clamping on the rising levels of insecurity which include terrorism. A registered SIM card is going to be easy to trace by security agents.
To read on the full statement, please click on the tweet link: http://bit.ly/37nkooJ
Data source: Africa news