By Ogaga Ariemu
Again Federal Government has extended National Identity Number (NIN), Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) verification deadline to 31st March 2022 as NIN enrolments exceeded 71 million.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), Dr Ikechukwu Adinde and the Head Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission(NIMC), Mr Kayode Adegoke on Friday.
FG disclosed that the extension will enable Nigerians and legal residents yet to carry out the exercise to do so before the deadline ends.
The statement reads: “The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) FBCS, FNCS, FIIM, wishes to convey the approval of the Federal Government to further extend the deadline for the National Identification Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to the 31st of March, 2022.
“The stakeholders have applauded the Federal Government on the significant growth in the number of NIN enrolments and the increased drive to enlighten Nigerians and legal residents across the country. As of 30th December 2021, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over seventy-one million (71m) NINs with over fourteen thousand (14,000) enrolment centres set up across the country.
“Furthermore, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has also set up enrolment centres in over thirty-one (31) countries to cater for Nigerians in the Diaspora. The unprecedented growth in the National Identity Database to over 71 million unique NINs in such a short period, with about 3 to 4 SIMs linked to a NIN, reflects the concerted effort of the Federal Government, the Nigerian populace and legal residents and this is truly commendable.
“Following the request by stakeholders, including citizens, legal residents and Nigerians in the diaspora, the Federal Government has extended the deadline of the exercise to the 31st of March, 2022. This extension would enable the Federal Government to consolidate the gains of the process and accelerate the enrolment of Nigerians in key areas like the remote areas, diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, and the registration of legal residents.
“The Honourable Minister has however implored Nigerians and legal residents to enrol for their NINs and link with their SIMs during this period of extension as more services will be requiring the NIN for identification. He also reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to support the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in ensuring that the objectives of the exercise are achieved.
“The Honourable Minister, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and the Director-General/CEO of NIMC, Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, wish to thank all Nigerians and stakeholders for their commitment and support towards the success of the project. They also applaud the efforts of the respective staff in ensuring a seamless NIN-SIM linkage and urge citizens and legal residents to complete the process of enrolment, verification, and SIM linkage on or before 31st March 2022.”
Earlier, Nigerian NewsDirect reported that the fate of over 90 million subscribers yet to integrate their NINs to SIMs unpredictable as the deadline set by the federal government for Nigerians and legal residents to link their National Identity Number (NIN) with the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) ends on Friday December 31 2021.
Nigerian NewsDirect reports that FG has shifted NIN-SIM linkage deadline for the sixth (6th) time since the exercise was made mandatory since December 2020.
There was an extension for subscribers with NIN from 30th December, 2020 to 19th January, 2021 and Six (6) weeks extension for subscribers without NIN from 30th December, 2020 to 9th February, 2021.
The government later extended the deadline to April 6, 2021. It then approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to the 30th of June, 2021 and subsequently shifted the deadline to July 26.
Also, on 31st of October, 2021 FG had approved another deadline extension to end on December 31, 2021.