Monalisa Agbata
The federal government has extended the deadline for the ongoing linking of National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) by 8 weeks, with a new deadline of April 6, 2021.
This was revealed in a statement jointly signed Director Public Affairs, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde and the Head of Corporate Communications at the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Mr Kayode Adegoke, the extension was conveyed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim during the meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce on NIN-SIM registration which held on February 1, 2021.
According to the Minister, this extension gives Nigerians and residents more time to link their NIN to their SIM. Records show that mobile network operators have collected about 56.18 million NINs. “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 disclosed that about 1,060 NIN registration Centres are being operated by NIMC across the country, alongside multiple Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) which have opened up for the linking exercise. He further advised all Nigerians and legal residents who are yet to register for the NIN or link it to their SIM to use the period of this extension to get it done.
He further urged applicants to adhere to the safety protocols established in the COVID-19 Executive Order, as signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 27 2021.
The meeting had in attendance, several stakeholders in the Nigerian Communication Industry including the DG/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and DG/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Other attendants represented telecommunication brands like; MTN, Globacom, Airtel, 9Mobile, Spectranet, Ntel, and SMILE.
Recall that the deadline for the linking exercise was initially February 9, 2021, until the extension. This extension came after the initial date of February 4, 2020, to commence the National NIN-SIM Registration Policy.