Travelling abroad? Here’s how to avoid losing your Nigerian SIM number

• Many Nigerians hazard fiscal fraud and individuality theft by leaving their SIM cards inactive portion surviving abroad, arsenic unused numbers tin beryllium legally recycled
• Major telecom providers similar MTN, Glo, and 9Mobile connection services to support SIM numbers progressive for up to 3 years to forestall deactivation
• Activating these retention plans earlier planetary question is important to support entree to indispensable services linked to your telephone number

Legit.ng writer Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Many Nigerians who are unaware of the dangers permission their Nigerian SIM cards inactive arsenic much people determination overseas successful hunt of amended opportunities.

Recycling SIM cards successful Nigeria is legal. Photo Credit: ak_phuong, fizkes
Source: Getty Images

This seemingly innocuous lapse has resulted successful SIM fig recycling cases, which can exposure unsuspecting erstwhile users to fiscal fraud and individuality theft.

In Nigeria, recycling SIM cards is legal. The Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, stated that a SIM paper oregon enactment that has been idle for up to a twelvemonth tin beryllium recycled and sold to a caller subscriber.

MTN, Glo, and 9Mobile, 3 of Nigeria's largest telecom companies, person launched services that fto customers support their numbers portion travelling overseas to assistance debar situations similar this.

Here’s however each supplier helps users enactment connected and protected according to a Tribune report:

MTN: Keep My Number (KMN)

MTN clients tin usage the Keep My Number (KMN) work to sphere their numbers for up to 3 years, careless of inactivity. The KMN work is disposable to each prepaid subscribers.

The cost of subscription varies:

1 year: N511 (Dial *3651# oregon SMS “KMN1” to 36500)

2 years: N819 (Dial *3652# oregon SMS “KMN2” to 36500)

3 years: N1,228 (Dial *3653# oregon SMS “KMN3” to 36500)

After outgo is verified, the fig is kept progressive for the selected period, truthful you won’t person to interest astir it being deactivated oregon reassigned.

Glo: ALWAYS ON Plan

The ALWAYS ON program for Glo users keeps your SIM progressive for a full year, adjacent if you don’t usage data, marque calls, oregon nonstop messages.

To activate:

Dial *777#, prime “ALWAYS ON” from the menu, and travel the prompts.

A one-time outgo of N500 is required for the service, which volition beryllium deducted from your superior relationship balance.

For tourists who privation to enactment distant for longer than ninety days, this bundle is ideal.

9Mobile: Extended SIM Validity

The Extended SIM Validity work allows 9Mobile customers to support the validity of their SIM card. Both prepaid and postpaid subscribers tin usage it.

To subscribe, recharge N500 and substance "1" to 539 oregon dial *5391#.

To cheque your subscription status, dial *539#.

This work helps debar deactivation and recycling by extending the SIM’s validity by 1 year.

Although galore Nigerians judge that linking their telephone lines to their National Identification Number (NIN) protects them from deactivation, a dormant enactment tin inactive beryllium recycled adjacent if it is linked to their NIN.

It is indispensable to activate these SIM retention plans earlier planetary question to forestall fraud and sphere entree to indispensable services connected to your number, specified arsenic societal media, emails, and banking.

It is indispensable to activate these SIM retention plans earlier planetary question Photo Credit: Contributor
Source: Getty Images

CBN urges telcos to nutrient SIM cards

Legit.ng reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called connected companies successful the telecommunications assemblage to see section production of sim cards, and different components to prevention Foreign Exchange.

The CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso, explained that adopting specified backward integration strategies could promote the maturation of the sector, and besides trim unit connected overseas exchange.

Cardoso noted that elements specified arsenic sim cards, towers and cables could beryllium produced locally to assistance the section economy, make jobs, and trim the request for FX.

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Source: Legit.ng