NIN–SIM: Telcos Subscribers Accuse NIMC of Baring Network Lines Randomly

• Telcos Unable To Unbar Restricted Lines Days After Several Linkages by Subscribers

Indications have emerged that most Nigerians who had keyed into the Federal Government’s directives and perfected their NIN-SIM linkages when the exercise commenced have been barred or restricted from making calls on their various networks.

Investigations carried out by Gentechnews at some telcos offices with subscribers and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have shown that most Nigerians have done their NINs and are awaiting linkages.

Unfortunately, some who spoke to Gentechnews at Glo office Victoria Island on Friday on condition of anonymity lamented that the telco and NIMC have made life difficult for them because their NIN-SIM were done a long time ago.

“I did my NIN-SIM linkage on my Glo line about a year ago. After the announcement, I was surprised to see that my Glo line has been restricted to make calls. I did what I was told to do to register again for me to use my line, which I did, but my line remained restricted. I now came to the Glo office on Wednesday and was asked to write down my details which I did. I did not get any response; hence I came again today (Friday). I was asked to write down my details again on a sheet of paper. Why must Nigerians continue to suffer like this even when they do the right thing? I don’t know when they will rectify the restriction on my Glo line because this is the third day that it has been restricted,” the police officer said.

Gentechnews also sent messages to Kayode Adegoke of Corporate Communications, NIMC on this development, but he did not respond to the messages.

Gentechnews gathered that there appears to be a disconnection between the telcos and NIMC over the restriction of mobile network lines on the one hand and the removal as well as restoration of the barred lines on the others.

It also gathered from an impeccable source at one of the telco offices that it was NIMC that did the random baring of the mobile lines and not the telcos.

“NIMC, from all intents and purposes have its hands full with so many issues that may have overwhelmed its operations, such as doing the NIMC registrations, NIN-SIM linkages and now restoring the networks of subscribers that were randomly restricted without recourse to the fact that these lines have been earlier linked from NIN to SIM. This could have amounted to double registration if there is a proper record.

“I believe that if there is proper data kept for this exercise, those network lines that were earlier linked will not be barred or restricted from making calls,” the source said.
Nigerians are calling on the telcos and NIMC to remove their restriction orders on the telco subscribers’ lines that have done their linkages before and have been asked to repeat it again for them to be able to make calls and do other services with their mobile lines.