NIN SIM policy led to a major drop in Nigeria’s active telecom subscribers in 2024 as the NCC enforced strict NIN verification nationwide
NIN SIM policy enforcement has reshaped Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape, producing one of the industry’s most dramatic corrections in recent years.
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The Nigerian Communications Commission confirmed that active voice subscriptions fell by an extraordinary 59.7 million in 2024 as operators complied with the Federal Government’s intensified identity-verification mandate.
According to the NCC’s 2024 Subscriber and Network Performance Report, the active subscriber base dropped from 224.7 million in 2023 to 164.9 million by December 2024.
This 26.6 per cent year-on-year decline stemmed largely from the removal of SIM cards not linked to verified National Identification Numbers and the resolution of a long-standing data-counting discrepancy by a major mobile network operator.
Authorities launched the policy on 4 February 2020 to curb the criminal use of anonymous SIM cards, strengthen national security and create a credible national identity database.
After several deadline extensions between 2023 and 2024, the government set a final cut-off date of 14 September 2024.
From the following day, every SIM without a valid NIN match was automatically deactivated in what officials described as a decisive and transformative clean-up.
The government argued that the linkage would also enhance service delivery, expand financial inclusion and support digital payment systems across the economy.
By September 2024, President Bola Tinubu announced that more than 126 million Nigerians had been enrolled in the National Identity Database, with system capacity expanded from 100 million to 250 million records to eliminate enrolment bottlenecks.
The scale of the industry correction echoed through related indicators. Teledensity fell from 103.66 per cent in 2023 to 76.08 per cent in 2024, while internet subscriptions dropped by 24.6 million to 139.3 million, representing a 14.98 per cent contraction.
Yet the report also highlighted continuing progress in network coverage. Nigeria achieved over 95 per cent cellular reach, while broadband penetration rose slightly from 43.71 per cent to 44.43 per cent, supported by wide access to 3G, 4G and growing 5G infrastructure.
Fresh NCC data suggests the market has begun to stabilise after the clean-up. Active telephone subscriptions increased to 173.54 million in September 2025, up from 171.57 million in August, signalling gradual recovery.
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Internet subscriptions inched upward to 140.36 million, while teledensity improved to 80.05 per cent, indicating renewed user momentum and a sector adjusting steadily to a stricter identity-verification era.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
