MTN Nigeria announced on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the closure of its shops nationwide, directing customers to use its digital channels for any support they may need.
While the company did not provide a specific reason for the closure, it appears to be related to the recent violence at some of its locations. On Monday, customers swarmed MTN’s support centers to unblock their lines, which had been barred due to issues with the National Identification Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage.
Over the weekend, millions of lines were barred by all telecom operators, including Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, in compliance with a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
In a brief notice to its subscribers posted on its Customer Care handle on X, MTN stated: “Please, be informed that our shops nationwide will be closed today, 30th July. We are available 24/7 to support you via our digital channels.”
The company did not indicate whether the shops would reopen after today.
Violence at MTN’s Shops
At MTN’s shop in Festac, Lagos, subscribers seeking to unblock their lines became violent, destroying the building’s fence. Similarly, at its shop in Maitama, Abuja, frustrated subscribers were reportedly banging and hitting the facility’s gate, threatening that a planned nationwide protest would start from MTN’s premises. In Oyo State, thousands of MTN users protested at the company’s Idi-Ape office in Ibadan over the sudden blockage of their SIMs. Videos circulating online show crowds of frustrated customers sending MTN staff members home in response to the disruption.
NCC’s Intervention
To prevent a nationwide crisis, the NCC ordered all telecommunication companies on Monday afternoon to reactivate all lines they had barred due to issues with NIN-SIM linkage verification. The Commission emphasized that the objectives of the NIN-SIM linkage exercise by the Federal Government are to enhance national security and ensure an accurate national SIM ownership database. The Commission stated it is providing affected subscribers with more time to properly link their SIMs. “The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs,” the telecom regulator said in a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka.
Background Information
Although all telecom operators implemented the SIM blockages, more MTN customers were affected due to the company’s large customer base. As of March, MTN had 81.7 million active subscriptions, while Airtel had 63.3 million, according to NCC data. Globacom had 62.1 million active subscriptions, and 9mobile had 11.6 million.
The compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs not linked to NIN. Since December 2023, the NCC has extended the deadline multiple times, with April 15, 2024, initially set for full network barring of subscribers with unverified NIN details. This deadline was later extended to July 31, 2024, to allow consumers more time for verification. Despite these extensions, many phone lines remain unlinked with verified NINs.
Earlier on Monday, telecom operators had to debunk rumors that the latest SIM barring was an attempt to frustrate a planned protest starting August 1. They clarified that the timing was coincidental, and the barring was unrelated to the upcoming protest. Some youth groups are organizing a nationwide protest from August 1 to August 10, demanding solutions to the rising cost of living and economic hardship in the country.
