The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has issued a directive to all mobile network operators to deactivate all SIM cards that will not be duly registered with valid national identity card in 14 days.
Operators to require ALL their subscribers to provide valid National Identification Number (NIN) to update SIM registration records,” the statement read.”The submission of NIN by subscribers to take place within two weeks (from December 16, 2020 and end by 30 December, 2020),” the statement continued.The move, if effected, will see millions of mobile lines blocked.With a population of 200 million, the west African country has an estimate of over 198 million active mobile lines.Only 41.5 million Nigerians have registered for identity cards as of May 2020Some Nigerians were furious over the NCC actions. They claimed the time allocation was not adequate.The move is seen as way to clamp on the rising levels of insecurity which include terrorism.
