After weeks of widespread disruption, SIM swap services have officially resumed across Nigeria’s leading mobile networks, offering relief to millions of subscribers who had been unable to replace or reactivate SIM cards due to a nationwide verification system failure.
Okay.ng reports that both MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria confirmed on Sunday, July 21, that the issues had been resolved following the successful restoration of connectivity to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) verification platform, a critical tool used in confirming subscribers’ identities for SIM-related services.
In a statement shared via its official X (formerly Twitter) support account, MTN Nigeria wrote:
“SIM swaps have now resumed. We can confirm that NIMC services are fully operational and appreciate their support in the migration to a new platform for NIN verification services for the telecommunications industry.”
The company further acknowledged the earlier disruption and advised affected customers to visit the nearest service centres for prompt support.
Airtel Nigeria also issued a clarification, apologizing for the confusion and confirming that the portal was once again functional.
“The NIMC portal is up and running. We regret earlier messages suggesting otherwise. We are sorry for the delay and are addressing the issue. We’ll update customers once resolved. We value our partnership with the NIMC and value your patience,” the telco posted on its social media platform.
As of the time of this report, Glo and 9mobile are yet to release formal statements on the status of their SIM-related services.
However, the NIMC has reposted both MTN and Airtel’s updates, suggesting that network-wide restoration is underway.
The disruption, which began earlier this month, was linked to a system migration by NIMC aimed at enhancing the security and scalability of Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure.
During the migration process, telecom operators lost access to the National Identification Number (NIN) verification system, which is required for SIM swaps, replacements, and new activations under the government’s strict SIM-NIN policy.
The identity verification platform is central to Nigeria’s SIM registration process, which mandates that no SIM card be activated or modified without a successfully verified NIN.
This policy, enforced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been in place since the conclusion of the SIM-NIN linkage deadline in September 2024, resulting in the disconnection of all unlinked SIM cards.
With the verification system now restored, MTN and Airtel have urged customers experiencing any lingering issues to visit physical outlets for assistance, while thanking users for their patience throughout the downtime.
