Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, addressed recent complaints regarding the blocking of mobile phone lines by telecommunications companies such as MTN and Airtel, on Sunday.
Contrary to speculation that these actions were related to upcoming protests, Ahmad clarified the true reason behind the disruptions.
On Sunday, numerous social media users reported that their mobile lines had been barred, specifically highlighting issues with MTN and Airtel services.
In response to these complaints, Ahmad posted on the social media platform X, explaining that he had spoken with a senior government official who assured him that the government had no involvement in the matter and that the disruptions were not linked to any planned protests scheduled for the following week.
Ahmad elaborated on the issue in his post, stating: “After my earlier tweet complaining about MTN blocking user lines, a senior government official reached out to me and clarified that the issue was not connected to the planned protest. The lines were blocked because the NIN details did not match the information submitted during SIM registration. Examples of such mismatches include discrepancies in names or dates of birth.”
He further mentioned that both MTN and Airtel had taken steps to inform affected users about the situation.
According to Ahmad, the companies had sent out SMS notifications advising users to visit their offices or utilize self-service portals to resubmit their National Identification Numbers (NIN) with the correct details.
This action is aimed at resolving the mismatches between the NIN details and the information provided during SIM registration.
Ahmad concluded his message by urging people to share this information widely, so that it reaches more of the affected users, allowing them to take the necessary steps to reactivate their blocked lines.
