The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the embattled Isa Pantami, has shifted the deadline for the linking of the National Identification number, NIN, to June 30, 2021, to give leeway for those who have not linked their NIN to their SIMs to conclude the process.
According to Agency reports, The Nigerian Communications Commission and National Identity Management Commission announced the deadline extension of the National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise in a jointly signed statement.
Two months ago, there was a court order that required the Commission to extend the time lapse to the end of May, but the commission was only able to extend it by one month. This current extension exceeded the time frame stipulated by the Court order.
Agency reports indicate that the extension was due to the virtual meeting chaired by Mr Pantami and attended by the Chairman of NCC, Adeolu Akande, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Garba Dambatta, and NIMC’s Director-General, Aliyu Azeez.
According to the minister the postponement of the deadline was also based on stakeholders’ request for an extension until June 30 to make it easier for Nigerians and legal residents to register.
“Significant progress has been made in the NIN-SIM verification process. For example, almost 54 million people have obtained their NIN, and this can translate to up to 190 million mobile numbers since empirical evidence suggests that each unique NIN maps to three to four phone lines,” Mr Pantami said.
The Communications minister has been under fire because of alleged terrorist affiliation, with the Presidency standing solidly in defence, refusing to heed the clamor for the sack of the embattled Minister. The Minister himself has refused to resign.According to the Presidency, disgruntled Nigerians are after the Minister because of the NIN policy. It was, however, alleged by critics that he is using the NIN project to register Non Nigerian Fulani as Nigerians, which explained why he refused to use the Bank verification Number, BVN, for the NIN registration.
Based on various videos and documents circulating online, Mr. Pantami is said to be an avowed supporter of terrorism on a global scale. Many believe this has disqualified him from holding public office.
“Furthermore, the telecom providers and other enrollment agents have also opened several centres across the country to make it easier for eligible citizens and residents to obtain and link their NINs.
“This is similar to the use of Social Security Number and National Insurance Number for accessing services in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, respectively,” the Federal Government said.
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