Telecom operators have faced significant backlash from angry citizens barely 48 hours before a planned nationwide protest against hardship in Nigeria. Major providers including MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Glo, and 9Mobile complied with a deadline set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to bar numbers not properly linked with the National Identity Number (NIN). This compliance resulted in widespread disconnections, sparking protests across the country.
Thousands of subscribers were disconnected, leading to immediate outrage and accusations that the telecom companies were intentionally disrupting the planned protest scheduled for August 1-10, 2024. Prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, alleged that the telcos were deliberately restricting services to undermine the protest. He claimed, “It seems the telecom companies’ goal is to limit customer access to thwart the planned demonstration.”
In response, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, dismissed these allegations as baseless. He argued that telcos have a responsibility to provide continuous service to all subscribers, regardless of their stance on the protest. “Both supporters and opponents of the protest are our customers,” Adebayo stated, questioning who would benefit from such deliberate disruptions.
Despite the denial from ALTON, protests erupted in several cities, with demonstrators targeting telecom facilities. In Festac Town, Lagos, protesters caused significant damage to an MTN service center, tearing down gates and barricades. Similar scenes were reported in Oshogbo, Osun State, where hundreds of people marched to telecom offices, blocking roads and creating traffic jams as they sought to resolve issues with their blocked SIM cards.
Eyewitnesses described long wait times and frustration as subscribers waited for hours without resolution. Security forces, including DSS officials, were deployed to manage the growing tensions.
The protests were not confined to Lagos and Oshogbo but spread to other major cities including Abuja, Warri, Onitsha, Uyo, and various locations in Lagos State. Viral videos online capture the widespread frustration and the impact of the mass disconnections on daily life.
In response to the crisis, the NCC instructed telecom operators to urgently reactivate all disconnected lines to give consumers additional time to complete the NIN-SIM linkage. The commission emphasized that this temporary reactivation is meant to alleviate the disruption and allow subscribers to verify their details.
The NCC reiterated that the NIN-SIM linkage policy, which began in December 2020, aims to enhance national security and maintain an accurate SIM ownership database. Despite several deadline extensions, many subscribers have yet to complete the verification process.
As telecom operators work to restore service, ALTON warned that repairs to damaged facilities will incur significant costs and further strain the already limited revenues of the telecom sector. Engr. Gbenga Adebayo criticized the violence against telecom infrastructure, noting that it adversely affects service quality and economic contributions.
The NCC urged all telecom users to complete their NIN-SIM verification promptly to avoid future disruptions and maintain access to their services.
