The federal government has extended the ongoing national identification number (NIN) and subscriber identity module (SIM) integration exercise till December 31, 2021.
The deadline was shifted from the previous date of October 31.
Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, conveyed the approval of the federal government to extend the deadline in a statement issued on Saturday.
The statement was jointly signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, director of public affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The statement read that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has conveyed the approval of the Federal Government to extend the deadline for the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification. Citizens and legal residents are urged to complete the process before the end of the year 2021.
It also stated that the decision to extend the deadline was made further to appeals by the Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders, soliciting for a further extension to ensure better compliance with the government’s directive and to avoid widening the digital divide.
The extension would also provide the enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, as well as foreigners, diplomatic missions, those in other areas that were hitherto unreachable, and increase enrolments in countries with a significant number of Nigerians.
As stated by the ministers, over 66 million unique NIN have been issued, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN.
