MTN Nigeria will cut off customers that have not complied with new national identity regulations, as part of an industry-wide order from the Nigerian government.
In April 2022, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said all operators are required to restrict outgoing calls of subscribers whose SIMs are not yet linked with their national identity numbers (NINs).
For wary investors, the registration programme could be a concern as previous clashes with Nigerian authorities have hammered MTN’s share price.
MTN informed investors that it has “received a formal directive from the NCC to implement full network barring on all phone lines for which the subscribers have not submitted their national identity numbers (NINs) and those whose NINs are unverified.”
MTN said it was further engaging the affected subscribers through all its channels to encourage them to submit their NINs for verification.
“As part of these efforts, we are enhancing the capacity of our various service outlets to make the process smoother and more efficient,” the Nigerian operation informed investors.
“We are committed to ensuring that our subscribers comply with the NCC directive and will continue to work with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to accelerate the NIN verification process.
“We appreciate the effort being made by the Federal Government to implement a reliable and sustainable National Identity Management system, which is a crucial enabler for national and economic development.
“Therefore, as a law-abiding corporate citizen and in line with our operating licence requirements, we are
committed to complying with the industry-wide directive from the NCC and will provide further updates to investors on progress and potential impact with the release of FY 2023 results.
“We urge all our subscribers who have not yet linked their NIN to their lines to take immediate action by visiting the nearest MTN outlet or using any of our digital channels before the deadlines. Those without a NIN should visit any of the NIMC’s enrollment centers nationwide to enrol for NIN.”
Also read: GUGU LOURIE: Nigeria-MTN dispute requires patience and compromise
In international business, few relationships are as intriguing as the one between telecommunications giant MTN and Nigerian bureaucrats. The more than two-decades-old relationship between MTN and Nigeria has been marked by tax disputes, fines, negotiations, court cases, and compromises.
MTN began operations in Nigeria in August 2001. In 2015, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) slapped it with a staggering $5.2bn (R95bn) fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards…
