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The Federal Government has extended the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise till June 30.
Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, gave the directive according to a statement jointly signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, director of public affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The postponement of the deadline, according to the statement was also based on the request by stakeholders for an extension in order to make it easier for all citizens and legal residents to register.
This extension is coming two days before the May 6 deadline earlier announced by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government said 54 million Nigerians with an estimated 190 million mobile numbers have obtained their NIN.
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SEE THE FULL STATEMENT ANNOUNCING THE EXTENSION OF THE DEALINE BELOW…
NIN Enrolment Reaches 54 Million as FG Approves 30th of June as NIN-SIM Verification Deadline
The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to the 30th of June, 2021.
The extension was as a result of the virtual meeting chaired by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, and attended by the following officials- Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Adeolu Akande, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Prof Umar Garba Dambatta and the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr Aliyu Azeez.
The postponement of the deadline was also based on the request by stakeholders for an extension till the 30th of June in order to make it easier for all citizens and legal residents to register.
Significant progress has been made in the NIN-SIM verification process. For example, almost 54 million people have obtained their NIN and this can translate to up to 190 Million mobile numbers since empirical evidence suggests that each unique NIN maps to 3 to 4 phone lines. The much-awaited Android enrolment system is now ready for deployment and this has the potential to significantly accelerate the speed and ease of enrolments.
Furthermore, the telecom providers and other enrolment agents have also opened several centres across the country to make it easier for eligible citizens and residents to obtain and link their NINs.
It is noteworthy that Sections 27 and 29 of the National Identity Management Commission Act 2007 provides for the mandatory use of the National Identity Number for accessing several government services. This is similar to the use of Social Security Number and National Insurance Number for accessing services in the United States of America and the United Kingdom respectively.
The Federal Government has approved the extension as part of its effort to make it easier for its citizens and residents to obtain the NIN and it is important to take advantage of the extension. Dr Pantami wishes to thank Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise. He again reiterated the government’s commitment to continue taking decisions aimed at easing the pains of the citizens with regard to issues related to NIN and SIM registration.
Signed:
Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs Head, Nigerian Communications Commission
Mr Kayode Adegoke, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission
