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.
Lawmakers said the proposed delay would help strengthen compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2023, while protecting Nigerians from fraud, identity theft and wrongful criminal allegations associated with reassigned SIM cards.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Billy Osawaru, who represents Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency of Edo State, during plenary on Tuesday.
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Osawaru proposed that the additional six months should allow telecom operators to publicly announce inactive SIM cards due for recycling in national newspapers and submit related reports to the police once or twice yearly.
According to the lawmakers, the move would improve transparency and make it easier for authorities to resolve criminal investigations or fraud cases involving previously owned phone numbers.
The House also noted that while the NCC’s Telecom Identity Risk Management Policy permits operators to deactivate and recycle dormant SIM cards for operational efficiency, commercial interests should not override subscriber protection.
Lawmakers warned that poorly managed SIM recycling could expose citizens to data breaches, banking fraud and identity theft, especially where recycled numbers remain linked to financial accounts or identity verification platforms.
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