Telecoms consumers, whose subscriber identity module (SIM) cards are barred from making calls, will not be unbarred by the service providers until they are linked with the National Identification Numbers (NINs) of the SIM holders, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.
The agency stated this on Monday in a statement by its spokesman Ikechukwu Adinde in the wake of a false report circulated widely about the affected SIM cards.
The misleading, viral message displays NCC logo and promises members of the public that, by clicking the web link and following further instructions in that regard, subscribers with barred SIM cards can unbar such SIMs across mobile networks without a valid NIN.
The NCC noted that it never issued such statement directing subscribers or indicating that subscribers can unbar their SIM without NIN.
“The Commission will not, under any circumstance, act contrary to Federal Government’s directive to MNOs to bar SIMs cards not linked to NINs at the expiration of the last deadline given for the NIN-SIM linkage exercise,” the statement said.
Also, the NCC urged the general public to ignore adverts claiming it is recruiting.
“Accordingly, the advertisement indicating there is ongoing recruitment at NCC, which is circulating on Twitter, and through polymediation, may have been diffused to other social media networks, is a scam and should be disregarded,” the statement said.
