Nigeria: Telcos Restore SIM Services Following NIMC’s Successful NINAuth Migration

Major telecommunications operators in Nigeria — MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile — have resumed SIM registration services, including new activations, SIM swaps, and number porting, following a temporary suspension caused by a system upgrade by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The disruption, which lasted several weeks, was due to NIMC’s transition to NINAuth, a more advanced and secure digital identity verification platform designed to authenticate National Identity Numbers (NINs) during telecom-related transactions.

By the weekend of July 21–22, 2025, MTN and Airtel confirmed via their official social media channels that full access to the NIMC portal had been restored, with Glo and 9mobile expected to reinstate services shortly thereafter.

The service restoration comes as a major relief for millions of subscribers who were unable to access critical telecom services during the outage, particularly those needing SIM replacements or new line activations. The incident underscores the central role of digital identity verification in Nigeria’s evolving telecom landscape.

Telecom operators are now encouraging customers experiencing lingering issues to visit designated service centers for resolution.

This episode also reinforces the urgent need for improved coordination between regulatory agencies and service providers, especially during nationwide digital infrastructure upgrades, to minimize disruption and maintain public trust.