The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body for telecommunication operators in Nigeria, has cautioned Nigerians against associating the ongoing line barring exercise with the planned nationwide protest against the nation’s economic situation.
In a statement issued yesterday and jointly signed the Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo and Executive Secretary, Gbolahan Awonuga, the Association emphatically noted that “There’s absolutely no connection between the two. The NIN/SIM link registration deadline has earlier been set for 31st July, 2024.”
The statement further explained some reasons why some lines were barred recently. “The fact of the matter is that the harmonization exercise of the SIM Registration database and National Identity Database has been ongoing for several months. This is aimed at improving the integrity of the National SIM registration database. Customers who had their lines blocked recently are those whom 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.”
ALTON however noted that due to the deluge of complaints, all operators have put in place measures to ensure that anyone whose line is blocked can unblock it by following some easy steps. These steps, as listed by ALTON vary per network.
The steps are:
- Airtel: Dial *121# and input your eleven digit NIN number. The subscriber will receive a confirmation message that you have successfully unbarred your Airtel Sim card.
- EMTS: 9Mobile: Dial *200*8#
- Glo: Dial *109*Your NIN number# For example if your NIN 12345678901, you would dial *109*12345678901# Then follow the prompts to submit your NIN for linkage.
- MTN: If a MTN line is barred, all the subscriber need do is visit nin.mtn.ng, to check the NIN status, and if not linked, 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.
- 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.
- Spectranet: Call toll free line 8002345678 and submit your NIN but will have to get your KYC done at Spectranet Store. Customer can email us at care@spectranet.com.ng and submit their NIN but will have to submit their KYC 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.
- Ntel: Customer should visits any Ntel store with their NIN, fingerprint is used to call up their existing KYC profile with Ntel for verification, consent is received and line is updated and unbarred.
The statement further advised subscribers to visit any operator’s walk-in center to unblock their lines in cases where the online steps fail.
The ALTON executives assured that it is committed to supporting the federal government, and upholding the rights of citizens. “As an industry, we respect and commit to protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.”
