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We Did Not Bar Mobile Lines Because Of Protest- Telecom Operators
The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has stated that the suspension of some Nigerian mobile lines has nothing to do with the planned protest.
Some Nigerians’ cellphone lines were blocked over the weekend for failing to link their lines to their National Identification Numbers (NIN). The owners of some of the impacted lines said that they were blocked owing to the planned nationwide demonstration dubbed #EndBadGovernace, which is set to commence on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
However, in a joint statement issued on Monday, July 29, ALTON disputed that any Nigerian cellphone lines were blocked to prevent them from participating in the demonstration.
“The attention of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has been drawn to some online reports linking the ongoing subscriber line barring exercise, with the planned national protest.
“There’s absolutely no connection between the two. The NIN/SIM link registration deadline has earlier been set for 31st July 2024”, the statement signed by ALTON chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, and its Executive Secretary, Gbolahan Awonuga, said.
“The fact of the matter, ALTON said, is that the harmonisation exercise of the SIM Registration database and National Identity Database has been ongoing for several months and it is aimed at improving the integrity of the National SIM registration database.”
It stated that clients who had their lines blocked recently were individuals whose service providers discovered a discrepancy between their records on both databases.
“We advise such customers to contact their service providers through communicated channels for resolution of the issue. However, all operators have put in place measures to ensure that anyone whose line is blocked can unblock it by following some easy steps.
- Airtel: Dial *121# and input your eleven-digit NIN number. The subscriber will receive a confirmation message that you have successfully unbarred your Airtel SIM card.
- EMTS: 9Mobile: Dial 2008#
- Glo: Dial 109Your NIN number# For example if your NIN is 12345678901, you would dial 10912345678901# Then follow the prompts to submit your NIN for linkage.
- MTN: If an MTN line is barred, all the subscriber needs do is visit nin.mtn.ng, to check the NIN status, and if not linked, proceed to link it. During the process, an OTP would be requested, as well as the NIN. After giving consent and submitting the NIN linking request, it will be done and the line will be automatically unbarred.
- Smile: Send your valid NIN to customercare@smile.com.ng or call 07020444444, you will be asked to provide consent, and upon receipt of customer consent and successful verification of NIN, the line will be unbarred.
- Spectranet: Call toll-free line 8002345678 and submit your NIN but will have to get your KYC done at Spectranet Store. Customer can email us at care@spectranet.com.ng and submit their NIN but will have to submit their KYC at Spectranet Store. Customer can go to the Spectranet website and submit their NIN online but to complete the process they will have to do KYC at the Spectranet Store.
- Ntel: Customer should visit any Ntel store with their NIN, the fingerprint is used to call up their existing KYC profile with Ntel for verification, consent is received and the line is updated and unbarred.”
It stated that if these online measures fail, subscribers can physically visit any of the operator’s walk-in centres to unlock their lines. The telecom association stated that it is committed to helping the Nigerian government and protecting citizens’ rights.
“As an industry, we respect and commit to protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications”, it said.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
