ALTON debunks claims of SIM barring linked to planned protests

The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has refuted claims that the recent barring of SIMs by network operators is an attempt to disrupt the planned protests set to begin on August 1.

ALTON Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, clarified this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday night, emphasizing that the timing of the SIM barring is purely coincidental.

Over the weekend, numerous subscribers found their lines barred by telecom companies despite completing the NIN-SIM linkage. This occurred as youth groups prepared for a nationwide protest from August 1 to August 10, demanding solutions to the rising cost of living and economic hardship in the country.

The recent SIM-barring exercise aligns with a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued in December last year.

The directive ordered telcos to fully bar lines whose linked National Identification Numbers (NIN) had not been verified by April 15, 2024. The deadline was subsequently extended to July 31, 2024.

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Addressing rumors circulating on social media that telecom operators were attempting to thwart the planned protests by barring millions of mobile lines, Adebayo stated, “I have received inquiries about this issue. No organization or association is barring lines because of the proposed protest.

“It is coincidental that the barring of lines is coming at a time a protest is being planned. We have no hand at all in what is going on about the protest. Telecommunications companies are service providers and provide service on a non-discriminatory basis. Our hands are clean. Go to your network service provider and your issue will be addressed.”

Adebayo further explained that the barring of lines is strictly related to NIN verification. He stressed that ALTON members are committed to providing uninterrupted service to all subscribers on a non-discriminatory basis.

Echoing Adebayo’s comments, Mr. Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the National President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, also dismissed claims that the barring of lines was intended to frustrate any individuals or groups. Ogunbanjo noted that recent announcements regarding the issue were largely ignored by many subscribers.

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“The number of NINs that are not properly done is alarming, and when you ask the affected persons, they will say I went to a kiosk somewhere or something similar to do my NIN registration. Many do not use their real names; some go to fake centers to do their NIN registration. The bottom line is that proper registration was not done. I implore everybody to do the needful and go to recognized NIN centers,” Ogunbanjo said.

In December 2023, the NCC directed all telecommunications operators to undertake full network barring of all SIMs that failed to submit their National Identity Numbers (NIN) by February 28, 2024.

Customers who had submitted their NINs but remained unverified were to be barred by April 15, 2024, with the deadline later extended to July 31, 2024. Additionally, guidelines were issued limiting customers to no more than four active SIMs, with all excess SIMs to be barred by March 29, 2024.