20th January, 2021
By Abankula
The mobile network operators (MNOs) today confirmed the extension of the deadline for the syncing of SIM cards with the National Identity Numbers, NIN.
In a statement today, the MNOs said that the Federal Government has granted a further extension of the deadline from 19 January till 9 February.
This will allow subscribers more time to sync their SIMs with their NINs.
“We have received formal confirmation from the NCC that President Muhammadu Buhari has graciously approved the extension of the deadline for subscribers with NIN to link it to their SIM registration data from January 19 to February 9, 2021.
“To ensure that we utilise the extension period judiciously, we urge all telecom subscribers who have a NIN to link it to their SIM cards through available channels as soon as possible.
“Those yet to enrol are advised to visit www.nimc.gov.ng for a list of enrolment centres close to them.” the statement read.
The Federal government in December 2020 gave Nigerians up till January 19 to link their SIM cards with their NIN or risk blockade of their phones.
In a review on Tuesday, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami the number of Nigerians, who have collected NINs, has increased to 47.8 million.
The Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force also reported significant progress in the NIN-SIM linkage.
The NCC stated, “So far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators.
At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, this means many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021.”