NCC suspend sale of new SIM cards by telcos pending audit

Ebun Francis| The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecommunications companies in the country to suspend the sales and reactivation of new SIM cards pending an audit of the subscriber registration database.

The directive was contained in a letter signed by A.I. Sholanke, NCC director for projects for the regulating agency.

The letter read in part, “In accordance with the federal government directive to consolidate the achievement of the SIM card registration exercise and verify compliance, the commission is embarking on an audit of the subscriber registration database to ensure compliance to set quality standards and requirements.”

“Accordingly, you are hereby directed to suspend the sale and activation of new SIM cards on your network until the audit exercise is completed.

“However, when it is absolutely necessary, an exemption may be granted following approval from the federal government through the Nigerian Communications Commission.

“Please note that failure to comply with this directive will be met with strict sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating license.”

A statement on Wednesday by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC director for public affairs, said the directive became necessary against the background of the “preponderance of pre-registered SIMs with the attendant security implications associated with the use of same to facilitate criminal activities”.