You Cannot Have More Than 3 SIM Cards- Minister

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that there should be a maximum number of SIM cards that can be tied to a single individual, possibly a maximum of 3.

The minister gave the order in a directive to NCC on the revised Policy on SIM Card registration and usage.

This was contained in a statement issued by Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Femi Adeluyi on Wednesday.

It said this is in line with the Powers of the Minister as stated in Section 25(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003- “the Minister shall, in writing, from time to time notify the Commission or and express his views on the general policy direction of the Federal Government in respect of the communications sector.”

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The statement said the revised Policy is based on the feedback received from the security agencies following the successful revalidation of improperly registered SIM cards in September 2019 and the blocking of those that failed to revalidate their SIMs.

According to the statement, the updated Policy is expected to include the following provisions which is to  ensure that the National Identity Number (NIN) becomes a prerequisite for Nigerians registering new SIM cards (while for foreigners, their passports and visas should be used), while already registered SIM cards are to be updated with National Identity Number (NIN) before 1st December 2020;

‘’Ensure that only fully accredited agents support the SIM card registration process without pre-registering SIM cards themselves, while the eventual registration should be done by the operators and also ensure that no unregistered SIMs are ever allowed on mobile networks, ‘’said the statement.

‘The statement reads,’’ Ensure that subscribers can easily check the number of SIM cards registered to their name, along with the associated phone numbers and networks and ensure that mobile network operators fortify their networks against cyberattacks while ensuring that they adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).’’

It noted that the policy would ensure that SIM cards that have been used to perpetrate crimes are permanently deactivated while the NCC is to provide the Minister with progress reports on the implementation of the revised Policy.