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| L-R: Venny Eze, Zonal Controller, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Ibrahim Ali, Principal Manager, Projects Department, NCC with Efosa Idehen, Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, at Treasure 98.5 FM, recently |
The Commission made the request during the
6th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Town Hall on Radio (TCTHR), a radio-based
interactive consumer outreach programme of the Commission, broadcast under the
auspices of NCC Digital Signature, the Commission’s flagship radio programme.
The programme, which had NCC officials and
representatives of MNOs in attendance in the studio, was aired live on Treasure
FM 98.5, Garden City, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over the weekend with the
theme: “Understanding SIM Replacement Procedures.”
Speaking during the radio sensitisation
programme, Efosa Idehen, the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, said while
operators are to ensure strict compliance when registering their customers, the
SIM card owners too have the responsibility to be vigilant to ensure that they
are properly captured either for new SIM activation or SIM replacement.
“As the telecom regulator in Nigeria, our
role is to enforce compliance with the extant SIM activation and replacement
procedures in order to avoid problems that may arise in the event of stolen,
lost, damaged SIMs or the need to upgrade SIM cards,” he said.
Idehen underscored the significance of SIM
registration to personal and national security, and asserted that compliance
with the stipulated procedures for SIM replacement will forestall identity
theft, fraudulent SIM swap and other deceitful activities that can be carried
out with a SIM card.
He said such experiences have resulted in
subscribers being defrauded by cyber fraudsters.
Idehen also advised the telecom consumers
to be wary of fake SIM registration agents purporting to be working for MNOs
with intent to defraud unsuspecting subscribers.
He said one of the antics of such agents is
to ask for the one-time password (OTP) forwarded to the consumer for activation
of the SIM, especially after the SIM replacement process has been done.
The Director warned telecom consumers to be
wary of such scams.
Addressing the requirements for SIM replacement,
Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, said the use of
National Identification Number (NIN) is compulsory in addition to all other
criteria stated in the SIM Replacement Guidelines.
He declared that the provision is stipulated
in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM registration.
Adinde, who was represented by Venny
Eze-Nwabufoh, the Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, explained that using the NIN for SIM
replacement is beneficial as it helps in identifying the real identity of a
mobile phone user, limiting identity fraud, other network related crimes as
well as improving national security.
The Director Public Affairs also stated
that the public sensitisation on SIM registration generally is in line with the
obligation of the Commission to ensure effective implementation of the Revised
National Identity Policy for SIM Registration.
Conclusively, both Directors at the
Commission informed the listeners that the NCC is saddled with the
responsibility to oversee the implementation and management of the National SIM
Registration Database.
The NCC senior executives explained that
one of the obligations of the Commission is to ensure the implementation of the
policy on revised national identity for SIM registration, and to have oversight
of its strategies, standards, guidelines as well as frameworks in order to
improve the identity and security management of mobile phone subscribers in
Nigeria.
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