The Nigerian Communications Commission recently ordered the blocking of more than 40 million telephone lines because of users’ failure to link the lines to National Identity Numbers [NIN].
Reuben Mouka, the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, explained that the telephone lines, which were blocked by telecom operators, have failed to meet the deadline of February 28, 2024, set by the commission for customers to connect their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to their NIN.
He said, “If the barred lines are not acted upon in the next 180 days, they won’t be able to receive calls but will only be able to text and make calls. But after the stipulated days, they would be barred from making calls too, and they might forfeit their lines to their respective service provider within 365 days.”
How to Unlock Your Phone Lines
To unblock your phone lines, Allub Times explains the process of retrieval as outlined by the NCC’s Director of Publicity to our correspondent.
- If you haven’t registered for your NIN, register your SIM at accredited centers nationwide.
- Link your NIN with your SIM through channels provided by your service provider.
- If you already have a registered NIN, visit your service provider center and present the NIN or link your SIM through the provided channels.
- If you have forgotten your NIN, retrieve it easily by dialing *346# on your mobile phone.
- Select “NIN Retrieval” by typing ‘1’ if you are using the same phone number you enrolled with for your NIN.
- Follow the instructions on your screen and provide the necessary information.
- Note that a fee of N20 (deducted from your phone airtime balance) is charged for this service.
- The four Mobile Network Operators in the country have specific USSD codes for quick linkage of your NIN and SIM cards:
- For MTN Customers: Dial *785# and enter your NIN to link your number.
- For Glo Customers: Send “UPDATENIN NIN FirstName and LastName” to 109.
- For Airtel Customers
Just dial *121*1# now to link.
- For 9Mobile Customers
Dial *200*8# and follow the prompts on your phone screen.
