The Federal Government of Nigerian has given a number of conditions to telecommunication service subscribers for replacement of damaged, misplaced, lost or stolen Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.
According to a statement co-signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Ikechukwu Adinde and Head, Corporate Communication, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Kayode Adegoke, on Friday, the decision was taken by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
The statement, titled ‘SIM Replacement Policy For The Nigerian Telecommunications Industry’, said subscribers must present their National Identification Numbers (NIN) for their SIM cards to be replaced.
The statement read in part, “Based on recommendations of the Technical Committee, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has approved a SIM Replacement Policy for subscribers whose SIMs have been lost, stolen, misplaced or damaged subject to the following conditions:
“That the subscriber present a NIN;
“That an effective verification of the NIN is carried out by NIMC; and
“That the relevant Guidelines and Regulations of NCC concerning SIM Replacement are fully adhered to.
“This policy is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce the burden on subscribers and simplify the exercise. It’s aimed at enabling telecommunications service users who need to replace their damaged, stolen or misplaced SIMs to re-establish access to telecom services.”
The committee comprised the NIMC, NCC, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, and Mobile Network Operators.
It would be recalled that the NCC had earlier ordered communications companies to halt the sale and activation of SIM cards and warned that non-compliance could lead to withdrawal of operating licences.