WorldStage newsonline– The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced a new deadline for National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise to April 6, 2021, to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM.
In a joint statement signed by the Director Public Affairs, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde and Head, Corporate Communications, Nigeria Identity Management Commission(NIMC), the 8 weeks extension was conveyed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Pantami at a meeting with the Ministerial Task Force In NIN-SIM registration, held on Monday.
A total of 56.18 million NINs were said to have been collected by the mobile network operators, up from 47.8million reported by the technical Committee on January 18, 2021. Each NIN is usually tied to an average of 3 to 4 SIMs and this infers that the current figure accounts for a significant portion of the existing SIMs.
“The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Minister and attended by key stakeholders, including the EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), DG/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), DG/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). Others include the MD/CEOs of MTN, Airtel, 9Mobile, Ntel, Spectranet and SMILE, as well as the COO of Globacom.
“Furthermore, over 1060 registration centres for NIN have been activated and made operational by NIMC across the country, while Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have opened hundreds of centres and are rapidly deploying resources to open thousands of other NIN enrolment centres across states of the country. This is in line with the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining NINs easier for Nigerians.
“The CEOs of the Telcos and the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Organisation of Nigeria commended the Honourable Minister for his stellar leadership and commitment to the rapid development of the sector.
Dr. Pantami reiterated the need for Nigerians and legal residents who are yet to register for the NIN to be diligent and take advantage of the extension to enroll for their NIN and link with their SIMs. It would be recalled that the 4th of February, 2020 was the initial date of the commencement of the National NIN-SIM Registration Policy.
He said the Federal Government of Nigeria applauded all Nigerians and persons of other nationalities for their understanding, cooperation and for enthusiastically participating in the exercise. The Minister also commended the efforts of NIMC, NCC, MNOs and all other relevant government and private sector organisations for their unflinching support towards the success of the exercise.
He also said President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed his satisfaction with the progress made regarding the NIN-SIM linkage and commended the Honourable Minister and all stakeholders for their roles. He encouraged citizens to take advantage of the extension to fully participate in the process.
The minister implored applicants to follow the safety guidelines at all the NIN enrolment centers and ensure compliance with the booking system in place.
“This protocol is in line with the Executive Order on COVID-19 2020 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 27th of January 2021, in keeping with the provisions of the Quarantine Act 2004,” he said.
“It is noteworthy that Sections 27 and 29 of the National Identity Management Commission Act 2007 provides for the mandatory use of National Identity Number for transactions, including application and issuance of a passport, opening of personal bank accounts, purchase of insurance policies, voter registration, obtaining credit, among others.”
