The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again extended the SIM-NIN linkage deadline by one week.
A senior official of the commission confirmed the latest development to journalists.
The disconnection process for SIM cards not linked with NIN was implemented in phases, with the second phase initially set for today, March 29.
The initial phase occurred on February 28, 2024, following NCC’s instruction to telecom operators to deactivate the services of numerous subscribers who had not linked their SIMs with their NINs.
NCC announced in December 2023 that the third phase will kick off on April 15, 2024.
However, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) expressed concerns about the fairness of disconnecting any subscribers, citing difficulties some have faced in linking their SIMs with their NINs.
NATCOMS’ President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, therefore, appealed that the NCC extend the deadline scheduled for the disconnection of telephone lines not yet linked to NIN beyond Friday, March 29, 2024.
In a conversation with Daily Trust on Thursday night, a senior representative of NCC mentioned that the commission had decided to prolong the deadline for the second phase by one week due to the Easter public holiday.
The official, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that the telecommunications companies had received instructions not to deactivate any subscribers until after one week, starting from Friday, March 29.
“The telecom operators will not bar any subscriber yet. We will only be talking about barring after a week from tomorrow. Yes, technically, we can say the deadline has been extended by a week,” the NCC official revealed.
Another high-ranking NCC employee, who confirmed the initial official’s statements, told reporters that the NCC acquiesced to requests from certain civil society organizations and telecommunications rights groups to extend the deadline.
This decision was made in response to the internet disruptions encountered in the country two weeks ago.
