MTN subscribers in Ikorodu, Lagos State, on Monday thronged the telco’s service centre in their thousands to address the barring of their phone lines.
Many of them told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in interviews that their phone lines were barred at the weekend allegedly because of the NIN – SIM linkage.
They told NAN that they had already linked their NIN to their SIM, and wondered why their lines were still barred.
According to Mrs Kemi Olawale, an entrepreneur, her line was barred without prior notice.
Olawale explained that she had tried the self service link which the network service provider sent to customers, adding that it didn’t work.
”My line was barred without notifying me, no message was sent, and I was sent a number to call to link it, which I did, but it said it was waiting for verification.
”I called but I was told to visit the physical office. I came here on Sunday at 8 a.m. and waited till noon, yet, I was not attended to.
”MTN should ensure that its virtual self-service options are working efficiently,” she urged.
Similarly, Mr Tunde Bolakale, a businessman, said that barring of his line had crippled his business, adding that his office was situated at Ijora, and it would be a waste of effort to go there without his work tools.
”I sell frozen foods in bulk and I receive alerts and make transfers with the same line.
”As it is now, I can’t even reach people who are bringing my goods for me, it means my business, for sometime, will be crippled except I get another line subscribed to a different network,” he said.
In the same vein, Miss Temiloluwa Ajayi, who works in the private sector, said that since her line was barred, she wouldn’t be able to monitor the payment of her salary.
”The line is attached to all my businesses, and without it, I cannot operate.
”It is also linked to my salary account, but now with the crowd, how am I sure I will get my line back?
”If I get another line, it will also take a long process to link it back to all my businesses, especially going to the bank,” she said.
Some other subscribers expressed their displeasure over the barring of lines by telcos on the networks’ social media pages.
A look at telcos X pages and Instagram handles revealed complaints by subscribers on the barring issue.
On Instagram, an MTN subscriber with the user name ‘Contextureedge ‘ said: “What reason does MTN have to block lines despite being linked to NIN.”
Similarly, Eyibio_Joshua on Instagram expressed displeasure, noting that he had not been able to call and send emails because MTN blocked him.
He urged MTN to fix the problem immediately.
Also, ireachgraphic on Instagram stated that MTN kept blocking numbers that were already linked to NIN.
On Airtel X page, a subscriber with the user name TemmyDaSilva complained that her number was blocked few days ago, querying that how many times the telco would want her number to be linked.
Similarly, a Glo subscriber on Instagram, Mercy Simeon_ said: “I sincerely want to know why my line was blocked for nothing.”
Reacting, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said that the NIN/SIM link registration deadline had earlier been set for 31st July, 2024.
Adebayo reacted in a press statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos, signed jointly by himself and the ALTON Executive Secretary, Mr Gbolahan Awonuga.
ALTON is the official industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria.
Its membership include all the major telecommunications licensees in Nigeria, particularly those providing voice and data telephony as well as those providing ancillary and other related value-added services.
He said that the fact of the matter was that the harmonisation exercise of the SIM registration database and national identity database had been ongoing for several months.
He said that the harmonisation was aimed at improving the integrity of the National SIM registration database.
The ALTON chairman said: “Customers who had their lines blocked recently are those who their service providers found a mismatch 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.”
“I urge subscribers to follow some easy steps. For Airtel: Dial *121# and input your eleven digit NIN number. The subscriber will receive a confirmation message that he/she has successfully unbarred the Airtel SIM card.
“For EMTS: 9Mobile: Dial 2008#, and for Glo: Dial 109Your NIN number#.For example, if your is NIN 12345678901, you would dial 10912345678901#.
Then follow the prompts to submit your NIN for linkage,” he said.
According to Adebayo, if an MTN line is barred, all the subscriber needs to do is visit nin.mtn.ng, to check the NIN status, and if it is not linked, the subscriber should 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.
“For Smile: Send your valid NIN to customercare@smile.com.ng or call 07020444444, you will be asked to provide consent. Upon receipt of customer consent and successful verification of NIN, the line will be unbarred.
“For Spectranet: Call toll-free line 8002345678 and submit your NIN but you will have to get your KYC done at Spectranet Store.
“Customer can go to Spectranet website and submit their NIN online, but to complete the process they will have to do KYC at Spectranet Store.
“In case these online steps fail, subscribers can physically visit any walk-in centres of operators to unblock their lines,” the ALTON boss said.
NAN reports that the disconnection process, which began in February, was rolled out in three phases.
The first occurred on February 28 followed by the second phase on March 29.
The Nigerian Communications Commission had directed telecommunication companies to extend the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to National Identification Numbers from April 15 to July 31.
During the initial deadline on February 28, the industry regulator said about 40 million lines not linked to NINs were barred. (NAN)