FG Extends Deadline For NIN-SIM Linkage By Eight Weeks

The Federal Government has extended the deadline given for Nigerians to link their SIM to their National Identity Number by eight weeks.

This is according to a statement released on Tuesday by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde.

The NCC said the registration has been extended to April 6, 2021.

This is the second time the government has shifted the date which was initially due on December 30, 2020.

The Federal Government had on December 16, threatened to disconnect every SIM card not synchronized with the NIN by December 30.

But the government approved another three weeks extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.

For those without NIN, the government approved an extension of six weeks, from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021.

The extension was to reduce pressure on National Identity Management Commission workers and facilitate the compliance of Covid-19 protocols.

The NCC had said there were arrangements to review the exercise in light of current challenges to ensure smooth implementation.

The commission added that there are approximately four to five SIMs to every human subscriber in the country.

This, it noted, was why it allowed the linkage of up to seven SIMs to one unique NIN.