The Nigerian government today in a statement through its telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave an update of the National Identification Number integration into SIM cards.
The statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, noted that so far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators.
The statement also disclosed that the collection is at an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, an indication that many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021.
This update is coming after a review meeting on 18th January 2021 by the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has expressed satisfaction with this commendable achievement. He expressed the Federal Government’s appreciation for the commitment demonstrated by all stakeholders and citizens and urged them to submit their NINs before the 9th February 2021 deadline.
The Minister urged the technical team to fast-track the processes so that the project is delivered soonest.
The Technical Committee drew attention to the App developed by the Federal Government which allows subscribers to link up to a maximum of seven (7) SIMs to their NIN.
The Minister concluded by reminding Nigerians to secure and protect their NINs, urging subscribers to desist from selling their NINs or allowing others to use their NINs for registration. “For any action committed with the SIM, good or bad, it will be officially traced and attached to the NIN owner,” the Minister warned.