Nigeria

FG tells telecom operators to adhere to guidelines on SIM replacement

Sunday, January 03, 2021 at 12:49 PM by Kess Ewubare

The federal government has given new conditions that telecommunication service subscribers must adhere to in replacing damaged, misplaced, lost, or stolen SIM cards.

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The new conditions for SIM replacement were disclosed in a joint statement by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission on Friday, January 1.

NIN: FG gives 3 gives new conditions for SIM replacement — FG says telecom services should not defy the instructions on SIM registration.
Source: Getty Images

The new directive stipulated that:

1. Subscribers must present their National Identification Numbers (NIN) for their SIM cards to be replaced.

2. That an effective verification of the NIN is carried out by NIMC.

3. That the relevant guidelines and regulations of NCC concerning SIM replacement are fully adhered to.

The agencies stated that the new policy was part of the federal government’s efforts to reduce the burden on subscribers and simplify the exercise.

It said:

"It’s aimed at enabling telecommunications service users who need to replace their damaged, stolen or misplaced SIMs to re-establish access to telecom services."

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Meanwhile, following the directives given by the NCC to the telecommunications operators in the country to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the NIN, reports have emerged on how subscribers with NIN can submit them to their various network providers.

In a related news, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the procedures on how to retrieve NIN slip in case of loss and misplacement.

This follows the recent Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC)'s mandate on the linking of the national ID card with the SIM card.

According to the information released by NIMC, Nigerians who lost their NIN slim should take the following steps.

Meanwhile, effective from Wednesday, December 30, NIN applicants will be required to do the registration exercise through a booking system throughout the country.

The new guideline was issued on Tuesday, December 29, by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Punch reports.