9mobile, a telecommunications company, has urged its subscribers to link their SIM cards to their National Identity Numbers (NIN) to avoid disconnection.
The company said this in a statement in Lagos on Friday and signed by its Director, Customer Care, Mr Ehimare Omoike.
Omoike appealed to subscribers to carry out the exercise on or before Feb. 28, 2024 to avoid disconnection from the network.
According to him, customers who do not comply with this directive will be unable to make or receive calls or have no access to the internet, SMS, One Time Password (OTP) and bank alerts.
Omoike said the action was in line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission had in December 2023 directed that all telephone subscribers must have their NIN linked on their operator’s network.
Linking NIN to their SIM will help verify the identity of the phone users and minimise the criminal use of network services.
Omoike said, “At the moment, more than 35 per cent of subscribers’ lines are yet to be linked to their NIN, forcing authorities to issue a deadline.
“Your line will be disconnected when you do not link your SIM to your National Identity Number (NIN).
“The implication here is that as a subscriber on 9mobile network, you will be completely shut out from access to the virtual world and you will be greatly inconvenienced.
“We therefore urge all our valued subscribers to endeavour to link their mobile lines with their NIN before February 28, 2024, to keep enjoying endless and seamless value offerings that enhance their lifestyle from 9mobile.”
He advised 9mobile subscribers to go and link their line now by visiting any 9mobile outlets for instant linking of their lines, or visit https://9mobile.com.ng/experience-centres to check the nearest 9mobile experience centers.
According to Omoike, the long-term goal of this initiative is to attain a widespread digital identity database and improve security in Nigeria.
He said the linking involved validating the NIN with NIMC and matching the subscriber’s NIN records with the SIM registration information to ensure proper subscriber identification.