Prime Minister bans random sale of SIM cards

Philemon Yang, Prime Minister, has in a recent order banned the haphazard sale of Subscriber Identification Module, SIM cards on the streets.

Going by the prime ministerial order, retailers of mobile telephony services in the country can no longer sell and register subscribers on the streets.

Subscribers will henceforth have to obtain SIM cards and identify themselves at the various service centers of the different mobile telephone operators.

Yang’s order also stipulates that no individual will be allowed to own more than three SIM cards per telephone operator. However, in a case where a subscriber will like to have more than three SIM cards, he or she will be expected to obtain permission from the operator with concrete justifications for the request.

Subscribers, according to the order, will be expected to be physically present with an original copy of their valid identification card, exact address and plan of residence at the time of identification.

The order further compels mobile telephone operators to activate SIM cards only upon presentation of complete documents and immediately deactivate same when such documents expire. They are equally expected to safely keep all information gathered on computers.

The subscribers’ information, we gathered, will be forwarded to the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, ART.

Mobile operators have been charged to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information provided to them. They are also expected to deactivate the account of subscribers once they declare their mobile devices have been stolen. The order also makes it illegal for a third party to activate any subscriber.

Operators have been given 30days from September 3, to apply the order. Yang has warned that any operator who fails to respect the order will be severely sanctioned.

We gathered on good authority that the move is in a bid to check the activities of the extremist Islamic sect Boko Haram.