NIN: Over 72 Million Active Subscribers Barred From Making Calls

Telecommunication Companies in Nigeria have barred outgoing calls from over 72.77 million active subscribers for not linking national identification numbers (NINs) to their sim cards.

The action was in line with federal government’s directive to stop outgoing calls on unlinked lines.

Recall that the Federal Government has on Monday, directed telecommunication companies to halt outgoing calls on lines without its National Identification Number-Subscriber Identity Module policy.

This was contained in a joint statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, and the Head, Corporate Communications at the Nigeria Identity Management Commission, Mr Kayode Adegoke.

The statement noted that 125 million SIMs subscribers have submitted their NINs for linkage, while over 78 million unique NINs have been issued.

The statements reads; “Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage.

“At this point, however, the government has determined that the NIN-SIM policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents.

“The implementation impacts on government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the policy with effect from April 4, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all telcos to strictly enforce the policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nige

“Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage policy from April 4, 2022,” it said.