Bukola Afeni
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said October 31st 2021 is the new deadline set for telecoms consumers to link their National Identity Numbers (NINs), with their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs).
The commisison made the disclosure in a statement signed by Dr Ikechukwu Adinde the Director of Public Affairs.
The body stated this during the NCC Digital Signature (NDS) radio programme, which hosted the 2nd episode of Telecoms Consumer Town Hall on Radio (TCTHR) live on a radio station in Lagos at the weekend to discuss benefits of NIN-SIM integration.
The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, advised Nigerians to make use of the extension of the NIN-SIM integration exercise to October 31, 2021, to enrol with NIMC.
“We want them to get their NIN and link it to their SIMs. Very soon people without NIN will be denied of necessary services that play vital roles in their lives including acquisition of driver’s license, international passport”.
Adinde said the exercise will significantly enhance national security as NIN is the primary identity for Nigerians.
“In line with the Federal Government’s commitment to ensure that Nigeria deploys technology to improve service delivery, the NIN-SIM database will enhance citizens’ access to government services.” The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Efosa Idehen, noted that most Nigerians are still using SIMs without unique identification, as they were yet to link their NINs to their SIMs.
“Those SIMs without unique identification could be used to commit crimes that remain untraceable.Security should be the responsibility of all citizens, and not be left in the hands of government alone”.
Idehen urged telecoms consumers to take advantage of the October 31, 2021 deadline to enrol with NIMC, get their NIN and link same with their SIM to avoid denial of essential services in future.
The Regional Director, NIMC in Lagos, Funmi Opesanwo, noted that submission of NIN to a mobile network provider helps in providing a means of verifying an individual’s identity and safeguarding both identity and mobile line. ” NIN will become the first layer of verifying everything about a citizen, stating that other relevant database in other sectors of the economy are being integrated into the NIMC database for proper harmonisation . Bank Verification Number (BVN) is being harmonised with NIMC database.”
“Therefore, BVN holders have automatically been allocated NIN and we advise BVN holders to dial *346# with the mobile number linked to BVN to confirm their integration. However, NINs generated via BVN must be verified and validated by NIMC through proper registration and biometrics capture at an enrollment center,” she added TCTHR is a consumer outreach programme of the NCC previously held in semi-urban areas but now modified to be radio-based, in order to reach every telecom consumer and as part of the Commission’s response to the efforts of the Federal Government to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
