The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to extend the validity period of reallocation of phone numbers to a year and six months.
This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo) at the plenary presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
The House said that the six months would be used to ensure that inactive SIM cards of the said status would be published on national dailies for public information and copied to police once or twice a year to enhance transparency in the process and enable fast resolution of criminal or fraudulent cases caused by SIM card reassignment.
It consequently mandated the Committees on Communication and Commerce to liaise with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC); and other related Agencies to ensure the safety and protection of Mobile Communication Subscribers in Nigeria and report within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Osawaru noted that the Data Protection Act 2023 provides a legal framework for the protection of personal information and establishes the Nigeria Data Protection Commission for the regulation of the processing of personal information.
He informed that Section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act authorises the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to make and publish regulations, guidelines, and rules for the communications industry, which would act as a legal basis for enforcing industry standards, managing licenses, and prescribing technical specifications.
The lawmaker disclosed that he was aware that the said Nigerian Communications Commission guidelines mandate the network providers in Nigeria to deactivate and reallocate inactive SIM cards and phone numbers to new subscribers after a period of 180 days and later 1 year of dormancy without the knowledge of the former subscriber, as provided in their new Telecom Identity Risk Management Policy (TIRMP).
“Also aware as claimed by network providers, that it is not financially sustainable or profitable for them to retain inactive SIM cards on their network despite being registered with the initial subscribers’ data.
“Worried that many innocent Nigerians and other Nationals have been embarrassed, humiliated and extorted, over false allegations resulting from reallocation of SIM cards or phone numbers used to commit a crime by the previous user.
“Concerned that if not strictly guided and checked reallocation of SIM cards or phone numbers to new subscribers could lead to data breaches, identity theft and financial fraud, especially when the numbers are still linked to the previous owner’s sensitive information, such as bank verification number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN)”, he submitted.
The motion was unanimously adopted when Speaker Abbas put it to a question.
