FG approves SIM swap centres

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of dedicated Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) swap centres by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) across all states and local government areas (LGAs) in the country.

A statement jointly signed by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), said the approval was part of resolutions reached at the Ministerial Task Force meeting on the NIN-SIM registration held recently and chaired by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami.

“Approval was given to MNOs for the establishment of dedicated SIM swap centres across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria; approval was given for the extension of the tenure of NIN enrolment agent licenses for MNOs from one to five years in consideration of their satisfactory performance, subject to continuous monitoring. The technical committee was mandated to complete the development of a new SIM issuance strategy that cannot be compromised. This will ensure that there is no repeat of the past process that was compromised through pre-registration by some agents, and a Multi-Sectoral Adhoc Committee was tasked to immediately complete the review of the processes for new SIM activations for legal residents staying in Nigeria for less than 24 months.

“The membership of the committee was drawn from NCC, NIMC, Nigeria Immigration Service and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).”

The minister also tasked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), working with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and MNOs, to come up with a framework for the establishment for SIM swap/replacement centres in each of the 774 LGAs in the country, beginning with critical and feasible locations.