The Federal Government has fixed April 6, 2021 as the new deadline for the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise.
This was made known in a statement jointly signed on Monday by Director Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Ikechukwu Adinde and Head of Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Kayode Adegoke; the extension conveyed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim during the meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce on NIN-SIM registration.
Dr Pantami disclosed that the extension is to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM.
The meeting was chaired by the 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.
It was revealed that a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by mobile network operators.
“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.
“This number of NINs collected represents a significant increase when compared with the 47.8 million reported by the Technical Committee on January 18, 2021,” the Minister said.
Pantami further explained that over 1,060 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.
He said this is in line with the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining NIN easier for Nigerians.
The Minister emphasised 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 enrol for their NIN and link with their SIMs.
He implores applicants to follow the safety guidelines at all the NIN enrolment centres and ensure compliance with the booking system in place.
He added that “President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his satisfaction with the progress made regarding the NIN-SIM linkage and commended the Minister and all stakeholders for their roles.
“He encouraged citizens to take advantage of the extension to fully participate in the process.”
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, the opening of personal bank accounts, purchase of insurance policies, voter registration, obtaining credit, among others.
