The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) on Tuesday night has ordered the telecommunications operators (MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile, and others) to block all SIM cards that are not registered with National Identity Numbers within the next two weeks.
Personal Assistant on New Media to President Muhammadu Buhari in a tweet mentioned that
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others) in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN), the Commission has said in a statement.
The new regulation is the idea of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Isa Pantami as he look to tackle the recent scourge in kidnapping with this idea.
This come at a time Nigeria is seeing an increase in COViD-19 cases and may lead to a second wave if all safety rules are not observed.
Over 100 million Nigerians will have to troop out to avoid a sim block after two weeks.
It is not yet known how Nigerians will react to this news.
How to check you SIM NIN status
You can check your SIM card status by dialing *346#. You will be charged 20 naira for this service. You will get a message like the one shown in the image if successful.
