Why SIM card registration is necessary, Juwah

ByEmeka Aginam

At the flag-off of a nationwide SIM card registration exercise on Monday in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) Engr. Eugene Juwah has said that the major significance of the exercise is the achievement of a Central Data base for all mobile phone users in Nigeria.

His words:

“Today, SIM Card Registration will begin simultaneously across the country. Deployments of materials have begun nationwide. Although challenges are not unexpected in an exercise of this nature, we will make every effort to minimize and overcome such challenges as they occur.

We currently have over 89 million active lines in the national telecommunications network and after six months from today, all these lines are expected to be registered..”

Juwah reiterated that no Nigerian, or visitor to Nigeria is exempt from the exercise, while unregistered lines will be disconnected from their various networks at the end of the six-month long exercise.

“No Nigerian, or visitor to Nigeria, using mobiles phones, is exempt from this exercise. At the end of six months of this registration, all unregistered SIM Cards will be disconnected from the various networks. Users of mobile phones in Nigeria must register their SIM Cards with NCC appointed SIM Card Registration Agents’ Centres nationwide. All SIM Cards, irrespective of the network, can be registered in one spot where the SIM card registration Centres are located.

The registration exercise will last for a period of six months and registration centres will be deployed all over the country and all subscribers will find a centre close to their abode to register their SIM Cards.”