Federal Government has extended the deadline for linkage of National Identity Numbers with Subscribers Identity Module (SIM) cards by eight weeks.
Consequently, the new dealine has been shifted from February 9 to April 6, 2021
A statement jointly signed by the spokesmen of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission NIMC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde and Mr Kayode Adegoke respectively, said the decision to extend the date was reached at a meeting of stakeholders with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami.
Dr Isa Pantami explained that the extension was to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM, the statement said.
It added that 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)
Also, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) among others
The statement reads: ” It was reported that a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by the mobile network operators
“Furthermore, over 1060 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.
Dr Pantami reiterated 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 enroll for their NIN and link with their SIMs.