MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (NGX: MTNN) will implement full network barring on all phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their national identity numbers (NINs) and those whose NINs are unverified.
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In a notification filed on Monday, MTNN informed the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public that the company received a formal directive from the Nigerian Communication Commission to commence the network barring.
MTNN stated that the exercise is part of an industry-wide directive that requires phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their NINs to be barred on or before 28 February 2024.
With regard to NINs that have been submitted but not verified, such lines are to be barred on or before 29 March 2024, where five or more lines are linked to an unverified NIN.
Similarly, where less than five lines are linked to an unverified NIN, such lines are to be barred on or before 15 April 2024.
All affected subscribers must be verified (biometrics and biodata) before their lines are unbarred.
NCC had on 4 April 2022 given a directive directors operators to restrict outgoing calls (one-way barring) for subscribers whose lines are not associated with NINs.
MTNN went further to say that “as part of these efforts, we are enhancing the capacity of our various service outlets to make the process smoother
and more efficient. We are committed to ensuring that our subscribers comply with the NCC directive and will continue to work with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to accelerate the NIN verification process.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
