NCC urged to extend SIM card reassignment to 18 months
House of Representatives has asked NCC to extend inactive phone number reassignment from current 6-12 months to 18 months. Rep Billy Osawaru (Edo State) moved the motion Tuesday, warning Nigerians face harassment, extortion and false accusations when numbers are recycled after previous users commit crimes.
Current policy allows telecom operators to deactivate unused SIMs after 180 days and reassign them. The proposed 18-month timeframe includes a 6-month window where operators must publicly announce numbers slated for reallocation in national newspapers and notify law enforcement.
Lawmakers say this protects citizens from identity theft, fraud and wrongful criminal implication linked to recycled numbers still connected to sensitive data like BVN and NIN. Existing guidelines require operators to delink numbers from previous users' systems, but challenges persist with external services like banking platforms and government databases.
House mandates Committees on Communications and Commerce to engage NCC and Nigeria Data Protection Commission within four weeks to tighten safeguards. If you've had a number for years, this extension means more protection against inheriting someone else's digital baggage.