Companies offering telecommunications services in Nigeria have had a fresh order from the federal government to entirely block all SIM cards not linked to the biometrics-backed National Identification Number (NIN) by February 28, 2024, at the latest. The directive has been handed down by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), according to corporate notices issued by some of the telcos to their customers and partners.
In MTN Nigeria’s own notice cited by Punch, the telco says the move is in line with an “industry-wide directive” which requires all SIM cards not linked to NINs, or those linked to unverified NINs, to be suspended on or before February 28, 2024.
