By 
House of Reps urges NCC to extend SIM recycling period to 18 Months
The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to extend the waiting period before inactive phone numbers are reassigned to new users from the current timeline to 18 months.
RELATED: How a recycled SIM card nearly landed an innocent Nigerian woman in jail
Lawmakers said the move would strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, and better protect subscribers from fraud, identity theft, and wrongful criminal allegations linked to recycled SIM cards.
ALSO READ: NCC launches TIRMS platform to tackle SIM fraud, strengthen Nigeria’s digital security
Motion Backed by Data Protection Concerns
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Billy Osawaru, representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency of Edo State, during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Osawaru proposed that the additional six months should be used to publicly announce inactive SIMs due for reassignment in national newspapers and notify law enforcement agencies once or twice annually, to improve transparency and traceability.
Existing NCC Policy Under Scrutiny
Presenting the motion, Osawaru noted that current NCC guidelines allow telecom operators to deactivate SIM cards after 180 days of inactivity and reassign them after one year of dormancy—often without notifying the former subscriber—under the Telecom Identity Risk Management Policy.
While network operators argue that retaining inactive numbers is financially unsustainable, lawmakers warned that commercial considerations must not override subscriber safety.
Rising Risks of SIM Recycling
The House expressed concern that poorly managed SIM recycling has exposed many Nigerians to embarrassment, extortion, and false criminal allegations when reassigned numbers are used for illegal activities.
Lawmakers also warned that recycled phone numbers often remain linked to sensitive personal data, including Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and National Identity Numbers (NIN), creating pathways for data breaches, financial fraud, and identity theft.
Committees Mandated to Engage Regulators
Following the motion’s adoption, the House mandated its Committees on Communications and Commerce to engage the NCC, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and other relevant agencies to review the SIM recycling framework.
The committees are expected to submit a report within four weeks, with recommendations aimed at strengthening subscriber protection and aligning telecom practices with data protection laws.
Experts Call for Real-Time Coordination
Industry experts have long called for more decisive regulatory action on SIM recycling, stressing that reallocated numbers must be fully de-linked from previous users.
They argue that the solution lies in coordination rather than customer warnings, urging banks and telecom operators to establish secure, real-time notification systems. Under such a framework, any SIM swap or number reassignment would automatically trigger alerts to linked banking platforms.
Banking Systems and Automated Risk Controls
Experts recommend that once a SIM is recycled, banking systems should immediately flag the number as high-risk. This could trigger automatic safeguards such as temporary restrictions on high-value USSD transfers, blocked profile changes, and stepped-up authentication until the customer is fully re-verified.
They insist such measures should be system-driven, not dependent on customers, and backed by regulatory standards that mandate real-time data sharing between telcos and financial institutions.
Closing the Data Gap
Although telecom operators are expected to delink recycled numbers from their internal systems before reassignment, gaps remain when numbers are still connected to external services such as banks, email platforms, and government databases.
Lawmakers say closing this gap is critical to preventing new users from inheriting phone numbers tied to sensitive personal data—risks that undermine trust in Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems.
