Proposed NCC regulation excludes under-18s from owning SIM card
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has excluded persons below the age of 18 years from registering and owning a SIM card in Nigeria in its new proposed regulations.
Josephine Amuwahe, NCC director, legal services, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, during the public hearing and inquiry on the proposed draft for telephone subscriber regulations.
The NCC director said a subscriber who meets the age limit is, however, “only allowed to register four sim cards per a network provider.”
Amuwahe, represented by Helen Obi, NCC director, telecoms laws and regulatory unit, legal services department, said that any network provider that allowed pre-registered SIM without full bio-data would pay N200,000 penalty per sim.
According to her, the guidelines are, activation window period (grace period where a subscriber enjoyed limited services before full registration) has been increased from 30 days to 60 days.
According to her, the guidelines include the increase of activation window period (grace period where a subscriber enjoyed limited services before full registration) from 30 days to 60 days.
“Foreigners with visas, two or more years, are to register their NIN before acquiring a telephone line, but those of less than two years visas are not required to get a NIN,” she said.
“A subscriber is a person that is of 18 years and above. Subscribers are only allowed to register four sim cards per network provider.
“For the reactivation of a deactivated line, the person will have to go through the process of new activation of a Sim card.”
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the public inquiry appealed to the commission to revise the age limit.
Nigeria is full of unserious people in the position of power. No synergy when it comes to policies whatsoever.
Ok here me out.
Firstly, most SS3 students nowadays are under 18yrs. All ss3 students will register for JAMB, WAEC, NECO etc which all require NIN, as per new regulations. People cannot register NIN without a phone number. New sims cannot be registered without NIN.
So which phone numbers are students supposed to use for registration of their NINs because they can’t use their parents or siblings since, these people would have linked their sims with their NINs, as per same government regulations.
Like I said, people just sit down and make silly policies without ever thinking of how it will affect the public. What is the downside of under 18s having and owning a sim card, in a digital world where everything is now online and requires a data connection that one can only get through simcards?
Tomorrow you will hear the Minister of Communication saying digital economy this digital economy that while they are making useless and stumbling policies like this.