Federal Government of Nigeria to revise policies on SIM card registration and usage

The Nigerian government has announced plans to revise its policies on SIM card registration and usage. 

The country’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami in a statement has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to revise the Policy 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.”

The revision of the 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.

The updated Policy is expected to include several provisions including 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.  It should also 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.

The policy also directs operators to ensure that there is be a maximum number of SIM cards that can be tied to a single individual, possibly a maximum of 3. It should ensure that no unregistered SIMs are ever allowed on mobile networks.

Others include ensuring that subscribers can easily check the number of SIM cards registered to their name, along with the associated phone numbers and networks, ensure that mobile network operators fortify their networks against cyberattacks and ensure that they adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and ensure that SIM cards that have been used to perpetrate crimes are permanently deactivated.

The NCC is to provide the Minister with progress reports on the implementation of the revised Policy.