*The National Identity Management Commission enjoins Nigerians to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols at the NIMC enrolment centres across the country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In regard to the essential need to encourage more Nigerians to participate in the integration of their National Identification Number (NINs) with Subscriber Identity Module (SIMs) card exercise without any financial hurdle, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has approved the extension of the deadline on the ongoing NIN-SIM integration by a period of three weeks.

Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), in a statement said that the new timelines are 30th December, 2020, to the 19th January, 2021, for subscribers with NINs, and six weeks for 30th December, 2020, to the 19th February, 2021, for subscribers without the NINs respectively.

The Commission noted the approval was conveyed after the review of all related activities by the Presidential Task Force on the integration of NIN and SIM cards.

Dr. Pantami was in attendance with other executive stakeholders in the sector, including  the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz; Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar G. Danbatta; Diretor-General, National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA), Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi; Chairman ALTON, CEOs of MTN, Airtel, Ntel, Glo, Smile and 9Mobile.

The statement disclosed that the Minister and other stakeholders resolved to suspend all USSD and verification charges for the duration of the extension.

It noted that the measure is to enable all Nigerians and legal residents to integrate their SIM cards with the NIN without any financial difficulty.

Adegoke stated NIMC, therefore, “wishes to assure members of the general public that adequate measures are being put in place to enable citizens and legal residents to enroll and be issued the NIN.”

Applicants are enjoined to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols at all the NIMC enrolment centres in Nigeria.