AGS NEWS – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a warning that over 40 million telephone lines facing disconnection due to failure to link to National Identity Numbers (NINs) could soon be forfeited. Reuben Mouka, the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs.

Mouka stated that telecom operators had barred these lines, contravening the February 28, 2024 deadline set by the commission for linking Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to NINs.

He emphasized that if action isn’t taken within the next 180 days, affected lines will only be able to text and make calls.

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If left unattended after this period, they could be barred from making calls and potentially forfeited to service providers within 365 days.

To address this issue, the NCC provided guidance on unblocking phone lines. For those without registered NINs, they should register their SIMs at accredited centers and then link their NINs through channels provided by their service providers.

Subscribers with registered NINs can visit their service provider centers to present their NINs or link their SIMs through designated channels.

For subscribers who’ve forgotten their NINs, there’s an option to conveniently retrieve them using a mobile phone by dialing *346# and following the prompts.

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This service incurs a N20 fee. Additionally, the four major Mobile Network Operators have designated USSD codes for quick linkage of NINs and SIM cards:

• MTN customers can dial *785# or 785YourNIN# to link.
• Glo customers can send “UPDATENIN NIN FirstName LastName” to 109.
• Airtel customers can dial 1211# to link.
• 9Mobile customers can dial 2008# and follow the prompts.