Nigeria’s leading telecommunications provider, MTN, has resumed nationwide operations after a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday.
The temporary closure came in response to widespread customer outrage and vandalism, sparked by the disconnection of subscribers who failed to link their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers.
On Wednesday, MTN announced its return to operations via X (formerly Twitter), confirming that its physical shops would be open to customers from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Over the weekend, many subscribers found themselves unable to access their phone lines after failing to verify their NINs with SIMs, leading to their numbers being blocked in compliance with NIN-SIM linkage regulations.
This blockage prompted thousands of subscribers to storm telecom offices on Monday, leading the Nigerian Communications Commission to direct telecommunications operators to immediately restore all affected lines.
The NCC, in a statement signed on Monday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, explained that the directive was in response to the widespread disruption and subscriber outrage caused by the blockages.
