MTN Nigeria reopens offices nationwide

Mobile network operator MTN on Wednesday announced it has reopened all its offices in Nigeria.

The company disclosed this in a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday.

“Yello, please note that our shops nationwide will be open today, 31 July 2024. We are also available 24/7 to support you via our digital channels,” the company said.

The company announced on Tuesday the closure of all its offices in Nigeria after violence erupted at some of them on Monday.

MTN, the largest mobile network in Nigeria with millions of subscribers, barred the telephone lines of several users on Sunday over concerns raised by the linkage of National Identification Numbers (NIN) with mobile phone numbers.

On Monday, some of the affected subscribers, whose telephone lines were barred by the network provider besieged the firm’s office across the nation. Some members of the crowd became violent and threw stones at the building in some states.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported that some aggrieved MTN subscribers whose phone numbers were blocked besieged MTN’s FESTAC office on Monday and damaged its fence.

Amid the chaos, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ordered the immediate reactivation of lines affected in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs.

The NCC, in a statement, said it took the decision because the consumer is its priority.

The commission said reactivated consumers should note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.

Background

In March, the NCC provided Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) with an extension until 31 July to verify all National Identity Numbers (NINs) submitted by subscribers with four or fewer SIMs and bar those whose NINs fail verification with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The compulsory linkage began in 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to block calls from unregistered and unlinked lines.

The policy was expected to help the authorities in fighting bandits and terrorists who kidnap and kill innocent people daily. Despite the extension of deadlines, many phone lines are yet to be linked.