A new condition for the Subscriber Identification Module, (SIM) card replacement is that subscribers must present their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
This is part of new conditions the Federal Government has announced for subscribers to replace lost, stolen, misplaced or damaged SIM cards.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) Director, Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde and its Head, Corporate Communication, National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC), Kayode Adegoke, telecommunication companies are expected to comply with other SIM replacement guidelines already in place.
It stated that NIMC will verify the NIN that subscribers supply before the telecommunication company can replace the affected SIM card.
The statement, titled: SIM Replacement Policy For The Nigerian Telecommunications Industry, further said the decision was the outcome of the report by a technical committee charged with the operationalisation of the process to ensure an expedited linkage of all SIM Registration Records with NIN, and the decision taken by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, after considering the report.
The NCC said the policy is part of the Federal Governments efforts to reduce the burden on subscribers and simplify the exercise aimed at enabling telecommunications service users who need to replace their damaged, stolen or misplaced SIMs to re-establish access to telecom services.
