“Mama Kelechi, hello! Can you hear me? I have changed my number o! This is my new number. Hello na! It’s me Edith, Mama Ngozi in Surulere! This is my new number o! That old one has lost. Just save this one as my original one. You can delete the old one”, a woman shouts beside you on the bus as you head home. Life is not easy at all.

Everybody has either heard or made this call in one way. A thief grabs your phone in Oshodi, your uncle’s five year old plays ‘tinko’ with your SIM or somebody has decided to help you scratch that golden part of the SIM - problem yaff started.

If any of these things have happened to you, you may not have to buy another one in a hurry. See simple steps to follow if you need to get your old number up and running:

What You Need?
The phone number must be registered.
The SIM pack or other evidence of direct purchase/ownership of that sim card. If your SIM pack is unavailable, get a sworn affidavit attesting to your ownership and loss is required.
Three (3) frequently-dialled numbers. Everyone has those three people (in fact, 10 may be) we can’t stop calling.
Any details of your last recharge activities (no matter how small, it will work)
You would also need a valid form of photo ID - International Passport, Driver’s License, National ID Card, Voters Identification Card (NINs slip with ID number are also cool).

If you need another person to help you with the process, all they need is:
I. A sworn affidavit by you stating all the reasons for the replacement, as well as reasons for your inability to carry-out the replacement yourself.
Ii. A copy of your ID
Iii. A valid photo ID of your authorized representative https://www.mtnonline.com/personal/sim-service/sim-swap/

If you are an MTN subscriber for instance, and you have these then you can head to the nearest authorized shop nearest to you https://www.mtnonline.com/personal/find-a-store/. They would ask you to fill a SIM REPLACEMENT (Welcome Back) form and the end!