News
NCC To Bar Over 42m Inactive Phone Lines
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will bar over 42 million inactive mobile numbers from February 28, 2024.
According to sources in the Commission, a total of 45 million lines in the country will be barred for not linking their subscriber identity module (SIM) with their national identification numbers (NINs).
Out of the 45 million, the sources said, 42 million lines have neither made a call, had a data session or sent an SMS in over one year.
In December 2020, the federal government announced the integration policy of SIM cards into the NIN database, as a measure to tackle the growing trend of insecurity and kidnapping across the country.
Following the multiple deadline extensions due to pressure from Nigerians and a huge number of unlinked SIMs, the federal government directed telecommunication firms to block only outgoing calls on all unlinked lines on April 4, 2022.
TheCable reports that the NCC has now decided to take things a notch higher, by implementing the policy at full scale for the first time since it was announced in 2020.
In a letter to mobile network operators in December 2023, the commission affirmed the federal government’s directive to bar unlinked lines by February 28, 2024, despite pleas by telecom operators that a huge amount of lines are yet to be linked with their NINs.
A full-scale implementation of the policy means that all outgoing and incoming voice calls, data, and SMS will be barred.
Sources further disclosed that only 3 million active lines will be affected out of the 45 million to be barred.
“These 42 million lines have been inactive for over a year. So essentially, from our system checks only about 3 million active lines would be barred. We expect that the users of these lines would come out to submit their NIN and unbar their lines or abandon the lines entirely,” a source stated.
The federal government had said the SIM-NIN registration drive, which commenced in 2020, aims to reduce criminal activities and ensure accountability among mobile phone users.
It was also intended to ensure that law enforcement agencies could track ownership, combat fraud, terrorism, and other illicit activities, as well as facilitate targeted communication during emergencies; and better regulate the telecoms sector.
With the barring of over 40 million lines by telecos, the country is expected to record a significant drop in its teledensity and broadband penetration index.
South African rap icon Bokang Moleli, also known as Malome Vector in the entertainment industry, has tragically passed away in a road accident.
The news of the rapper’s death was shared by his former record label, Ambitiouz Entertainment, on their official page on X, which was previously known as Twitter.
In their post, the music label paid tribute to the late rapper, expressed sympathy for his family, and announced their intention to provide support to the family as needed.
“With heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of a shining star; the Lion of Lesotho’s sun has set. Our deepest condolences go out to his loved ones and colleagues in the industry during this time of great loss,” a portion of the label’s post on X read.
According to a report on 3news.com from the Free State Department of Health, three men were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which took place on the N1 near the Koppies turn-off close to Kroonstad. The health department also disclosed that two other individuals were taken to Boitumelo Regional Hospital for treatment.
The same report mentioned that the “Nobody” hitmaker was en route from Gauteng, passing through the Free State, to his home country of Lesotho to film a music video when the accident occurred shortly after 13:00.
Hillary Mophethe, a senior official from the Free State Department of Transport, explained that while the exact cause of the accident is still unknown, he suspects that a burst tire might have been the reason behind the tragic incident.
The US Embassy in Nigeria has issued a security alert to citizens resident in Nigeria over planned nationwide protests.
SEE details of notice below:
Alert: Potential Nationwide Protests
Location: Nigeria Date: July 26, 2024
According to media reports, nationwide protests may occur in Nigeria between July 29th and August 5th, 2024. Based on past occurrences, protests may involve roadblocks, checkpoints, traffic congestion, and physical confrontations. No specific times or locations have been identified for potential protests at this time.
Actions to take:
Monitor local media for updates.
Avoid crowds.
Avoid demonstrations.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Review your personal security plans and keep your cell phone charged in case of emergency.
Carry proper identification.
The Consular Sections of Embassy Abuja and Consulate General Lagos will remain open during regular business hours and Consular services will be provided as scheduled.
U.S. Embassy Abuja, Nigeria
Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive
Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria
Phone: (234)-209-461-4000
Fax: (234)-209-461-4036
AbujaACS@state.gov
U.S. Consulate General Lagos
2 Walter Carrington Crescent,
Victoria Island, Lagos
Telephone: (234)-201- 460-3400
Fax: (+234)-201-460-3717
LagosACS@state.gov
A report by global data and business intelligence platform, StatiSense, has revealed that more than 162 million Nigerians visited porn and betting websites in June 2024.
According to the platform’s most recent data, which lists the top ten websites that Nigerians saw on their mobile devices in June, a sizable percentage of this traffic visited websites with gambling and pornographic content.
A post on StatiSense’s official X page revealed that a variety of search engines, social media apps, and betting platforms were among the most popular websites.
Notably, two pornographic websites, Xvideos and Xnxx, came in second and sixth place respectively with a total of 80.18 million visits.
In addition, Nigerian mobile users visited sporting websites 176.83 million times. Of these, 83.1 million visits were allocated to sports betting sites Sportybet and Bet9ja, which secured third and fourth places on the list.
Google and Facebook were also among the sites that featured prominently in the report.
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