In response to public outcry over the short duration given for SIM registration by Nigerians, the Federal Government has announced an extended deadline for the provision of National Identification Number,NIN by telecommunication service subscribers nation-wide.
This extension which came via some clarification was contained in a statement on Monday by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
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Expectedly, this has brought appreciable sense of relief to many phone subscribers who have been facing agonizing times in order to meet the initial deadline determined and set by the Federal government.
A statement by the Ministry entitled, “Extension of Registration Period and Cancellation of USSD and Verification Fees’’, which was co- signed by the Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta; and Director-General, National Identity Management Commission, Alhaji Aliyu Aziz, read among other things thus:
“The National Task Force on National Identification Number and SIM Registration met today, 21st December, 2020.
“The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami with major stakeholders in the sector including Chairman – NCC, EVC-NCC, DG-NITDA, DG-NIMC, ECTS/ECSM-NCC, Chairman ALTON, CEOs of MTN, Airtel, Ntel, Glo, Smile, and 9Moble in attendance.
“Based on the endorsement of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the following resolutions were made:
“Three (3) weeks 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 statement added: “NIMC has provided strategies to enable citizens attend the registration in full compliance with Covid-19 protocols – particularly the use of facemasks which remains mandatory and maintenance of social distancing.”
Recall that the NCC as a regulatory agency in the telecommunications industry had last week instructed telecommunications firms nation-wide to comply within two weeks for SIM registration or else suspend phone subscribers who have neither registered their NIN nor don’t have NIN numbers.
Fueled by apprehension and anxieties, many Nigerians have been trooping out in crowds to NIMC offices in cities especially Lagos and Abuja in order to register and obtain their NIN.
Recall also that the House of Representatives and several Nigerians in response to this state of chaos and visible crisis had called for an extension of the deadline for NIN registration with respect to linking it to mobile phone lines and associated issues.
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