Nigeria’s telecommunications sector experienced a steep contraction in 2024 as active voice subscriptions fell by 59.7 million following strict enforcement of the National Identification Number–Subscriber Identity Module policy, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s 2024 Subscriber and Network Performance Report.
Active subscriptions dropped from 224.7 million in 2023 to 164.9 million by December 2024, representing a 26.6 per cent year-on-year decline. The NCC attributed the fall to the removal of SIM cards not linked to verifiable NINs and the correction of a long-standing subscriber-count discrepancy by a major operator.
The clean-up was part of the Federal Government’s multi-year initiative to link all SIM cards to valid NINs, a programme launched on 4 February 2020 and jointly enforced by the NCC and the National Identity Management Commission. After multiple deadline extensions between 2023 and 2024, the final cut-off date was set for 14 September 2024. From 15 September, any SIM without a verified NIN was automatically deactivated.
The government said the linkage was aimed at curbing criminal activities enabled by anonymous SIM cards, strengthening national security and building a more accurate national identity database. Officials also expect the policy to enhance service delivery, expand financial inclusion and support digital payments across the economy.
In September, President Bola Tinubu announced that the National Identity Database had recorded more than 126 million enrolments after the Federal Government expanded its capacity from 100 million to 250 million records to improve accessibility and eliminate enrolment bottlenecks.
The report also showed that teledensity declined sharply from 103.66 per cent in 2023 to 76.08 per cent in 2024. Internet subscriptions fell from 163.8 million to 139.3 million during the same period, a loss of 24.6 million users and a 14.98 per cent contraction.
Despite the drop in subscriber numbers, coverage expansion continued. Nigeria achieved over 95 per cent cellular coverage, while broadband penetration rose slightly from 43.71 per cent to 44.43 per cent, supported by wide availability of 3G, 4G and growing 5G networks.
New NCC data indicate that the sector has begun stabilising in 2025. Active telephone subscriptions increased to 173.54 million in September from 171.57 million in August, reflecting early signs of market recovery after the 2024 clean-up. Internet subscriptions on GSM networks also rose to 140.36 million, while teledensity improved to 80.05 per cent, pointing to renewed growth in user activity.
