NCC bans Nigerians under 18 from buying SIM cards

The Nigerian telecommunication regulator, NCC, has disqualified Nigerians below the age of 18 from getting a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. This policy is aimed to “protect minors” from the liabilities that arise from the usage of such SIMs.

One source, a senior official of the commission, told PREMIUM TIMES that parents and guardians can acquire SIMs in their names on behalf of their children and wards and assume any responsibilities or liabilities that may arise from the use of such SIMs.

The overall intent, according to sources, is to protect minors and strengthen national security.

NCC has been tweaking its telecommunications policies to combat security threats in Nigeria.

Constitutionally, 18 years is the age of consent in Nigeria.

NCC believes SIM acquisition is a contract between service providers and their subscribers, which requires the subscriber to have proper legal status, be of mature mind and be rational enough to bear certain responsibilities, obligations and liabilities imposed by a contract.

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In 2021, the NCC proposed a Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations where it suggested banning minors in Nigeria from acquiring a SIM card. That regulation is now in effect, officials said.

One of the NCC officials said the policy will place a significant responsibility on parents to monitor the mobile activities of their minors.

This newspaper’s efforts to reach the NCC spokesperson were unsuccessful as at press time.

Reduction in subscribers

Data shows that Nigeria’s mobile subscriptions have dropped from 219 million in March to 153 million in September.

Officials said the decline was attributed to the removal of SIMs not linked to a verified National Identification Number (NIN).

Another reason was that there was a discrepancy in data submitted by a Mobile Network Operator.

One source said the NCC found that “one Mobile Network Operator incorrectly reported around 40 million subscribers as active, despite the absence of any revenue-generating activity over a 90-day period.”

“This was in direct violation of the Commission’s guidelines for determining active subscribers and led to an inflated report of the operator’s subscriber base, thereby skewing industry statistics.”