The Federal Government has extended till April 6 2021, the deadline for the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, during the meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on NIN-SIM registration in Abuja said the extension was necessitated by the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining NINs easier for Nigerians.
In a statement jointly signed by Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission and Mr Kayode Adegoke, the Head, Corporate Communications of Nigeria Identity Management Commission and made available to the press on Tuesday, Dr Pantami stated that the extension is to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with SIM cards.
The statement said a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by the mobile network operators.
Accordingly, 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, the statement read in part.
The Communications Minister urged applicants to follow the safety guidelines at all the NIN enrolment centres and ensure compliance with the booking system in place.
“This protocol is in line with the Executive Order on COVID-19 2020 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 27th of January 2021, in keeping with the provisions of the Quarantine Act 2004,” he said.
