Nobody is allowed to have more than 3 sim cards – Communications Minister

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Nobody is allowed to have more than 3 sim cards – Communications Minister

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali-Pantami has gievn a new directive that is sure to raise eyebrows. The Minister directed the National Communication Commission, NCC, to ensure that no Nigerian had more than three SIM cards.

The directive was issued on Wednesday via a statement signed by the Minister’s Technical Assistant, Dr Femi Adeluyi.

In the statement, the minister revealed that the Policy is based on the feedback received from the security agencies, following the successful revalidation of improperly registered SIM cards in September 2019.

Parts of the statement read: “Ensure that only fully accredited agents support the SIM card registration process without pre-registering SIM cards themselves, while the eventual registration should be done by the operators;

“There should be a maximum number of SIM cards that can be tied to a single individual, possibly a maximum of 3;

“Ensure that no unregistered SIMs are ever allowed on mobile networks;

“Ensure that subscribers can easily check the number of SIM cards registered to their name, along with the associated phone numbers and networks;

“Ensure that mobile network operators fortify their networks against cyberattacks and ensure that they adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR); and

“Ensure that SIM cards that have been used to perpetrate crimes are permanently deactivated,” the statement noted.