The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered that telco companies should suspend the ongoing suspension of SIMs and numbers of subscribers who have not connected their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).

According to a statement by the telecoms regulator, the order was given following the challenges that the recent blockages have caused:

“The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend because of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs,” the NCC said.

The statement also noted that this grace period will be limited

“Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM,” it said. The statement did not, however, state a new deadline.

In its statement, the NCC justified the exercise by claiming that it was meant to improve the country’s security architecture.

“The objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate. The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in verifying and protecting users’ identities while providing a critical infrastructure that assures access to the benefits of a robust digital economy for the citizenry”, the statement said.