NIN: Nigeria govt gives new registration deadline
NEWS DIGEST – The Nigerian government has extended the deadline for mobile users to link their SIM numbers to their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, announced the eight-week at a ministerial taskforce meeting on the registration on Tuesday.
The extension is to allow Nigerians and legal residents more time to link their NIN with the mobile lines. The new deadline for the registration is April 6.
According to NCC and NIMC, a total of 56.18 million NINs have been received by the mobile network operators. A significant increase compared to the 47.8 million recorded on January 18.
To speed up the registration process, 1060 NIN registration centres are in operation across the country. Mobile network operators have opened hundreds of centres to speed up the registration process.
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“This is in line with the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining NINs easier for Nigerians,” Mr Pantami said.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria applauds all Nigerians and persons of other nationalities for their understanding, cooperation and for enthusiastically participating in the exercise,” he said.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his satisfaction with the progress made regarding the NIN-SIM linkage and commended the Honourable Minister and all stakeholders for their roles. He encouraged citizens to take advantage of the extension to fully participate in the process”.
Mr Pantami implores applicants to follow the safety guidelines at all the NIN enrolment centers and ensure compliance with the booking system in place.
Early this year, the minister faced criticisms after he directed phone users to complete the registration within few weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic or be disconnected.
This is the third time the government is extending the deadline.
