…As FG insists on February 9th deadline
Chidi Ogbuokiri
As the February February 9th deadline set by the Federal Government for all GSM Mobile phone subscribers to link their National Identity Number (NIN) to their SIMs, indication on Monday was that the mobile operators have already collected a total of 47.8 million NINs.
This it was disclosed, imply an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, which means that many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021.
Reacting to the report, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, 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 February 9, 2021 deadline.
The Minister urged the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Taskforce to fast-track the processes so that the project is delivered soonest.
The Technical Committee drew attention to the App developed by 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.
