NCC Says Nigerians Below 18 Years Can No Longer Own SIM Card

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has placed age limit on SIM Card ownership in the country.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that people under the age of 18 would no longer be able to register and own a SIM cardi n Nigeria.

The development was announced during the public inquiry on three regulatory instruments on the rulemaking process in Abuja.

The draft copy of the modified Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations described subscribers as persons above the age 18.

In the modified regulations, the NCC insisted on 18 years and above for anyone who wants to own and register a SIM card in Nigeria.

The Commission said that “subscriber’ means a person not below the age of 18 years who subscribes to communications services by purchasing a subscription medium or entering into a subscription contract with a licensee.

The licensee refers to ‘a provider of communications services that utilises a subscription medium in the Federal Republic of Nigeria’.

The regulations were made in line with the powers conferred upon the commission by section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act,2003.

In accordance with Section 57 of the Act, the NCC conducted a public inquiry on the registration of telephone subscribers regulations, alongside the draft SIM replacement guidelines and the draft spectrum trading guidelines at its head office in Abuja on Tuesday.

The regulation withdraws licence from “subscribers registration solution provider” who is usually contracted by the NCC for conceptualization, design, development and delivery of registration solutions which covers all licences and providing detailed subscribers information in a manner facilitating seamless integration into central database.

Also, independent registration agents will no longer have access to subscriber information.

It also says that all agents or people who register SIM cards in shops or private agents or sub agents will no longer have access to details of subscribers. They now have limits to personal information.

The draft policy clarified that the regulations is applied to all persons subscribing to communications in Nigeria and subscribers of foreign licences who are roaming on the network of a licensee in Nigeria.

This means these regulations will affect everyone using a SIM card for communications in Nigeria and anyone who uses a Nigerian number outside the country or diaspora.

At the public inquiry, operators, including MTN, urged the commission to revise the age limit and make it 14 years and above.

The NCC, however, insisted on 18 years and above for anyone who wants to own and register a SIM in Nigeria.

This comes a few days after the NCC warned that Nigerians who fail to link their NIN and SIM would not get passports and driving licence.