…Govt’s action premature — NATCOMS President, Ogunbanjo
Abimbola Abatta and Ariemu Ogaga
Telecommunications operators have vowed to comply with the Federal Government’s directive to bar all outgoing calls on SIM cards yeto be linked with the National Identification Numbers (NINs).
Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, disclosed this yesterday, following the Federal Government’s approval of the NIN-SIM Policy implementation.
Engr. Adebayo called on telecommunication subscribers who have not obtained and linked their NIN to their SIMs to do so at any of the designated centres.
According to him, “We, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), can confirm that our members have received formal instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to bar out-going calls on subscriber lines that are not in compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy requirement that all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) must be linked with a National Identification Number (NIN).
“The instruction followed multiple extensions of the deadline, which have been granted by the Federal Government to allow subscribers complete the NIN-SIM linkage.
“ALTON members are committed to complying with the instructions and call on telecommunication subscribers who haven’t obtained and linked a NIN to their SIMs, to do so at any of the designated centres.
“We remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications,” he stated.
Government’s action premature — NATCOMS President, Ogunbanjo
Reacting to the development, President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said the action by the Federal Government is premature.
Ogunbanjo disclosed this in a chat with Nigerian NewsDirect, stating that the Federal Government would have consulted widely before taking such decision.
He lamented that how would subscribers who do businesses on their SIMs, survive the implication of Federal Government’s directive.
Representing the voices of many telcos subscribers, the NATCOMS President called for the extension of the NIN-SIM linkage exercise for more persons to be captured.
In his words, “For me, I think it is premature. The period given to subscribers was less than two years. So why would Minister of Communications and Digital Economy order telcos to bar outgoing calls to unlinked SIMs?
“A lot of people use their phones for businesses. The government would have held meetings with operators and stakeholders to know the extent of compliance before coming out with blanket statement.
“Also, the capacity of National Identity Management should be questioned. There is need for the expansion of NIMC capacity. Federal Government should rather extend further the NIN-SIM linkage exercise”, he stated.
Nigerian NewsDirect reports that over 125 million SIMs have had their NINS submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication.
Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 million unique NINS till date.
Recall that President Buhari had in December 2020 gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the exercise to link the National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), as part of the administration’s security and social policies.
To allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy, the Federal Government extended the deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage on multiple occasions.
However, on Monday, a statement jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, and Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Kayode Adegoke, disclosed that the order to bar outgoing calls on unlinked SIMs was to take effect immediately.
The statement read in part “At this point however, Government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents.
“The implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.
“Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022.
“Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMS to their NINS before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.
“Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINS at designated centers and thereafter link the NINS to their SIMS through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.”