The Nigerian Communications Commission on Monday directed telecommunication companies to immediately restore all the telephone lines of subscribers that were blocked after thousands of customers stormed the offices of the firms in protest.

Subscribers whose telephone lines were blocked due to the non-linkage of their National Identification Numbers to SIM cards besieged the offices of the companies less than 24 hours after the incident.

An impeccable source told our correspondent that the affected telephone lines from different mobile operators in the country were estimated to be around three million.

“It might be a bit difficult to say the exact number because it’s not just from one mobile operator. The number is fairly large from across the board. It is estimated to be about three million lines,” the source who pleaded for anonymity, due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, said.

The NCC, in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, explained that the directive to restore the blocked telephone lines was in response to the widespread disruption and subscriber outrage caused by the blockages.

On Sunday, many subscribers found themselves unable to access their phone lines after failing to verify their NINs with SIMs, leading to their numbers being blocked in compliance with NIN-SIM linkage regulations.

The disconnection of the telephone lines coincided with the anticipated August 1 nationwide protests, raising concerns among citizens about a potential communication disruption.

However, the industry regulator and the telcos rebuked the insinuation, stating that the disconnection was in line with the data harmonisation exercise.

The NCC said, “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.”

It clarified that the affected consumers should note that this reactivation was for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NINs to their SIMs.

The commission urged all subscribers who had not yet verified their SIMs to do so promptly to maintain access to their services.

The mandatory linkage of NINs with SIMs, initiated in December 2020, was geared towards enhancing the country’s security and ensuring an accurate SIM ownership database. Despite several deadline extensions, including the latest to July 31, 2024, many lines remain unverified.

Since December 2023, the commission has reviewed the deadline multiple times. Initially, April 15, 2024, was set as the deadline for the full barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details.

This deadline was extended to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details were properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines are yet to be linked with verified NINs.

In its earnings report for the year ending December 31, 2023, MTN Nigeria disclosed that it disconnected 4.2 million lines after the February 28 deadline for linking SIMs with NINs expired.

MTN stated, “We also had approximately 4.2 million lines disconnected for which the subscribers did not submit their NIN. Several of these lines were low-value subscribers, minimising the revenue impact.”

Airtel Nigeria, the second-largest telecom operator, reported in May that 5.7 million of its subscribers had yet to link their SIMs to NINs.

In its financial report for the quarter ending March 2024, Airtel said it was working with affected customers to ensure smooth verification.

The operator, part of Bharti Airtel, mentioned that it complied with government directives, barring customers without NINs and those with more than four active SIMs, with minimal revenue impact. Since December 2023, Airtel has verified 7.9 million customers’ NINs.

Information on the number of subscribers barred by indigenous operators Globacom and 9mobile is currently not available, as these companies are not listed on the stock exchange and do not publicly disclose such details.

NATCOMS, MTN react

Videos and pictures on social media, including Facebook and X show long queues of customers who crowded MTN offices, with many subscribers lamenting and protesting against the telcos.

A senior official at MTN, who was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, told The PUNCH that the firm had increased the number of staff to ensure that subscribers were properly served.

He said the disconnection was in line with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s directive to bar lines not linked to NIN.

“We have introduced a self-service option that allows customers to link their NIN without necessarily visiting our offices,” the official said.

On his part, the President of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told our correspondent that many subscribers had refused to adhere to instructions to link their SIMs with NIN.

He said the disconnection should have happened years ago, but the association had approached the NCC for an extension, which was subsequently granted.

Meanwhile, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria clarified that the disconnection was not related to the planned August 1 protest.

“Customers who had their lines blocked recently are those whose service providers found a mismatch between their records on both databases. We advise such customers to contact their service providers through communicated channels for resolution of the issue,” the group explained in a statement.

Punch