Many Nigerians took to social media on Sunday, July 28, to lament that their lines had been barred, especially by MTN and Airtel.
Reacting, Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), claimed that telecommunications companies barred some lines because of the upcoming nationwide protest on August 1.
He disclosed this in a post on his X page.
However, in a post on X, Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari Ahmad, clarified that a senior government official informed him that they had no hand in the matter and that it was not linked to the planned protest for next.
NCC sets deadline for NIN-SIM link
BusinessDay reported that telecommunication firms have begun barring phone lines not linked with a National Identification Number (NIN) days before the Nigerian Communications Commission’s July 31, 2024 deadline.
An X user, Ọmọọba Adélẹyẹ Tolu @DoublePrince001, lamented bitterly over the development.
In a post on X, he shared a simple tip on how to unbar MTN lines that have been linked to the NIN.
Visit https://ninlinking.mtn.ng to unbar your MTN line for NIN 24 hours after dialling *996*NIN# on the affected line.
The X user advised that subscribers who haven’t linked their line to the NIN should visit the MTN website for further assistance on how to unbar their line.
He tweeted:
“Visit https://ninlinking.mtn.ng to unbar your MTN line for NIN 24hrs after dialing *996*NIN# on the affected line. My wife got her line unbarred in a minute cos she linked it with NIN before. And if u haven’t linked your line, that website will also help you do it and unbar ur line.”
MTN gives steps to unbar line
In reaction to the development, MTN Nigeria shared further information on how subscribers can unblock their line.
MTN tweeted:
“Unblock your line anytime, anywhere!
“Here are easy steps you can take.
“Get started at http://nin.mtn.ng
“Need additional support from our stores?
“We are open 7 days a week.”
