For The Seventh Time, FG Extends NIN-SIM Verification Deadline
For the seventh time, FG extends NIN-SIM verification deadline
The Federal Government has approved a delay in the deadline for NIN-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification until "the end of the year 2021," according to the Federal Register. In a recent statement, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) stated that this was the case.
That's less than a day before the previous deadline expires, and it comes just three months after the previous extension was granted (October 31). There have been seven deadline extensions since December 2020, when it was announced that the NIN-SIM linkage exercise would take place.
The decision to extend the deadline was made in response to requests from Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders for an additional extension in order to ensure better compliance with the government's directive and to avoid widening the digital divide, which led to the decision to extend the deadline.
In a statement, the NCC stated that "the extension would also create an enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, the diaspora, schools, hospitals, and places of worship, as well as foreigners, diplomatic missions, and those in other previously unreachable areas, and would increase enrolment in countries with a significant number of Nigerians." The NCC also stated that "the extension would also create an enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, the
Remember that we reported only a few days ago that telecom subscribers in the country are pleading with the government to extend the NIN-SIM registration deadline, citing the impending deadline as their justification for the request.
It is critical, according to Adeolu Ogunbajo, president of the National Association of Telecom Subscribers, that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) postpones the deadline for sim verification until the end of this year to give users more time to complete their verification processes.
"Taking into consideration the current security situation, which made the policy necessary, we would like to extend this deadline until the end of this year so that there will be no excuses on January 1 when the policy is implemented. To be honest, I'd rather have a situation where subscribers take advantage of the remaining days available during this window."
"Another two months won't be a problem for anyone. We are requesting a two-month extension – November and December – in order for the security policy to be fully implemented in January, as previously stated "He went on to say more.
According to the exercise's progress report, more than 66 million unique National Identity Numbers (NINs) had been issued, indicating that the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage effort was successful. However, a sizable proportion of the population is still not registered in the National Identity Database, which is a national security risk (NIDB).
In accordance with NCC reports, the National Information Network has been used to connect more than 180 million telephone lines. According to the National Communications Commission's August 2021 subscriber data, there are approximately 320 connected lines in total.
Due to the fact that each subscriber has an average of three SIM cards, this translates into approximately 60 million unique NINs being associated with phone numbers from the country's average 107 million unique telecoms subscribers on average.
"Therefore, Nigerians and legal residents are encouraged to enroll for NINs and link them to their SIM cards while the extension period is still open. The Honourable Minister, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, and Engr. Aliyu Aziz, Director-General/CEO of the NIMC, on behalf of the Honourable Minister, encourage citizens and legal residents in Nigeria to take advantage of the window to complete the enrollment and verification process by the end of the year 2021 "According to the NCC.
