The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to extend the waiting period before inactive phone numbers are reassigned to new users to one year and six months.
The lawmakers said the move would strengthen compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2023, and protect Nigerians from fraud, identity theft, and wrongful criminal allegations linked to reassigned SIM cards.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the member representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency of Edo State, Billy Osawaru, during today’s plenary.
Osawaru proposed that the additional six months should allow for inactive SIM cards due for reallocation to be publicly announced in national newspapers and reported to the police once or twice annually.
“The House is aware the said guidelines mandate the network providers to deactivate and reallocate inactive SIM cards and phone numbers,” he said.
He noted that the measure would improve transparency and make it easier to resolve criminal or fraudulent cases arising from SIM card reassignment.
“The House is 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.
“We are 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 and National Identity Number,” the lawmaker added.
Presently, the Nigerian Communications Commission guidelines mandate network providers in Nigeria to deactivate inactive SIM cards after 180 days (6 months) and permit reassignment to new subscribers after one year of dormancy, without notifying the former subscriber, as provided in their new Telecom Identity Risk Management Policy.
