FG Extends The NIN-SIM Link Until Dec. 31 

The Federal Government is urging Nigerians and legal residents to complete the process by the end of 2021.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

The Federal Government has once again extended the deadline for integrating the National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) until December 31, 2021.

In a statement on Saturday, October 30, 2021, the minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, conveyed the federal government’s approval to extend the deadline.

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)., signed the statement titled ‘Stakeholders Applaud the NIN-SIM Verification Exercise as FG Urges Citizens and Legal Residents to Enrol Before the End of the Year’ 

The statement reads, “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.

“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 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.”

According to the statement, over 66 million unique NINs have been issued, with an average of three to four SIMs issued per NIN.