JUST IN: FG extends NIN-SIM linkage

The Federal Government has extended the deadline for linking Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) with valid National Identity Numbers (NIN) by one month.

A statement issued by the spokesperson of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Kayode Adegoke, on Friday said the deadline was extended from April 6, 2021, to May 6, 2021.

It said the decision was taken after participants at the meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on NIN-SIM data linkage agreed to have an extension of the process.

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“The meeting took place on Thursday, April 1, 2021, and approval was given to extend the period of the NIN-SIM linkage to the 6th of May, 2021, ‘’it reads.

“The request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it.”

The statement said  Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, chaired the meeting.

It also stated that based on the updates of the NIN registration process, over 51 million people had been assigned NINs.

“There are many people who have enrolled and are in the process of being assigned NINs,” it stated.

The statement added: “With each individual having an average of three to four SIMs, the total number of SIMs tied to NINs would close to the total number of registered SIMs in the country.’’

It said the current number of monthly enrollments had increased significantly to about 2.6 million registrations.