The Federal Government has extended the deadline for the registration, linking, and verification of the National Identification Numbers (NINs) to Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in the country. This was announced by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, after a meeting chaired by its minister, Dr. Isa Pantami. He explained that the need to extend the deadline further was as a result of the pleas from several stakeholders, urging the ministry to give ample time for more Nigerians to be able to link the SIM cards with their NIN. It, therefore, has extended the deadline by eight weeks which will elapse by June 30, 2021.
The original date set for the blocking of all SIM cards which have not been linked to their NIN was set for Thursday, May 6, 2021; that has now been moved further by eight weeks, The joint statement signed and released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) read:
“The postponement of the deadline was also based on the request by stakeholders for an extension till 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.
“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 government’s commitment to continually taking decisions aimed at easing the pains of the citizens with regard to issues related to NIN and SIM registration.”
See Also: Find Out How to Link Your NIN With Your SIM Card Across All Networks
Since the exercise started on December 16, 2020, the FG has shifted the deadline for the NIN-SIM linkage four times. The initial deadline at the start of the process was December 30, 2020, which saw Nigerians besiege several NIN registration centers and network provider offices in a bid to register their NINs and get the SIM cards linked respectively. The deadline was then extended for six weeks – from December 30, 2020, to February 9, 2021 – and then by another eight weeks – from February 9, 2021, to April 6, 2021 – and then by four weeks – from April 6, 2021, to May 6, 2021.
The latest extension will be the fourth time asking and Nigerians are beginning to wonder if there is an end in sight to all of these extensions.
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