Nigerians below 18 have been disqualified from registering and owning a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
In a draft copy of the modified Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations published on the commission’s website, the NCC said the regulations were made in line with the powers conferred upon the commission by section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act,2003.
The announcement was made at a Public Inquiry on the Registration of Telephone Subscribers Regulations, alongside the draft SIM Replacement Guidelines and the draft Spectrum Trading Guidelines at NCC’s head office in Abuja on Tuesday October 5.
NCC’s Executive Commissioner Stakeholders’ Management, Mr Adeleke Adewolu who spoke at the event said “The public inquiry is an avenue that enables the commission to develop and review its regulatory instruments by incorporating the comments and suggestions of industry stakeholders.”
Some stakeholders and telecommunication companies however appealed to the NCC to revise the age limit and make it 14 years and above.