FG Enrolls 66 Million NIN, Extends Deadline For SIM Linkage To December 31

In a bid to open access to more Nigerians to enrollment centres where they can link their National Identity Number (NIN) to their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), the Federal Government has extended the deadline to December 31, this year.

The deadline which was initially announced in July was October 31, 2021.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, gave the approval for the extension of the exercise to December 31.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) made the disclosure in a notice seen by THE WHISTLER.

The extension was approved based on appeals by Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders to avoid widening the digital divide.

NCC said, “The administration of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has graciously approved the extension to accommodate the yearnings of the populace and make it easier for its citizens within and outside the country, and legal residents to obtain the NIN and link it with their SIM.

“The Federal Government will ensure that all innocent, law abiding citizens and residents will not lose access to their phone lines as long as they obtain and link their NIN.

“The extension would also provide the enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, as well as foreigners, diplomatic missions, those in other areas that were hitherto unreachable, and increase enrolments in countries with a significant number of Nigerians.”

The NCC further revealed that over 66 million unique NIN have been issued.

The agency revealed that a significant part of the Nigerian population are yet to be registered into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

NCC noted that as of October 30, 2021, it has established over 9,500 enrolment systems and over 8,000 NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country.

The agency added, “With the creation of additional NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country, and many more coming up, the remaining citizens and legal residents living in the country and the diaspora should be able to obtain their NINs and link them with their SIMs before the end of the year.

“Consequently, the Honourable Minister enjoins Nigerians and legal residents to make use of the opportunity of the extension to enroll for their NINs and link with their SIMs.”