Reactivation is temporary, NCC says after MTN’s mass disconnection of subscribers
NCC
Reactivation is temporary, NCC says after MTN’s mass disconnection of subscribers
Nike Popoola
The directive to telecommunications operators to reconnect all blocked lines of subscribers is a temporary order, as the deactivation will be repeated if consumers fail to verify and update their NIN with their providers, the Nigerian Communications Commission has said.
The NCC had on Monday, directed MTN and other telcos to immediately restore all phone lines blocked over NIN issues among others over the weekend, after the situation turned chaotic in many places.
The disconnection was initially scheduled for April 15, 2024, but NCC postponed it to July 31, 2024, after considering various challenges encountered by subscribers and requests for extensions.
During an interview with Arise TV on Monday, the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, said the telcos had provided channels for the consumers to update their NIN.
Speaking on the reactivation of subscribers, he said, “The directive is to ask the operators to reconnect everybody immediately, especially, those that were disconnected at the weekend. We are reviewing the situation around it, particularly to see how we can probably give a deadline when everybody must do so. But this is an opportunity to advise Nigerian subscribers, there is need for them to go and verify their NINs.”
He added, “You still have the opportunity to go and activate those lines, to take these various steps in order to make it work. It is not a closed door. But the thing is that this one over the weekend, they came in a lot, and it happened over the weekend, but reactivating them is only temporary. So there is need for consumers to verify and update the information they have supplied to service providers.”
Crowds started converging at telcos offices on Sunday, as soon as people discovered they could no longer make or receive calls again.
The situation got worse on Monday as the crowds extended beyond the offices to the streets, which was becoming difficult to control, while some were fighting to make their way inside the telcos offices.
An affected person told Dailyeconomy, “I had to go to MTN office in Ojodu after church on Sunday. They said the NIN linked to my number has my details but that the number has another person’s details and that the number has been disconnected and I should come back again.
“They said name on the sim is Hellen but I don’t know the person. I’ve been using the number for over 20 years and I still used it yesterday morning (Sunday). It’s strange because my NIN was attached to the number and name on my NIN is correct.
“After staying hours on the queue on Sunday, I went back there this morning (Monday) but it was too chaotic because the crowd was large and uncontrollable. I had to leave without any resolution because I couldn’t fight in the crowd.”
Another person who spoke to Dailyeconomy said, “I have been using my line for more than 10 years and I still used it on Sunday morning before MTN blocked it suddenly. Now, they are saying the line has been allocated to another person that it doesn’t belong to me;
“A line that I have been using for my bank accounts and all other things. I shouted inside the office, fought but they said I should come back without resolving the issue.”
