The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has confirmed that the deadline to link National Identity Number (NIN) to the SIM registration database, has been extended till February 9.
The deadline had earlier been scheduled for Tuesday, January 19.
However, in a statement signed by ALTON’s Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, the directive to extend the deadline was given by President Muhammadu Buhari, as confirmed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The statement read: “We want to thank the President for giving us more time to deliver on this all-important assignment of creating a credible national identity database for the country.
“We are also grateful to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Ali Pantami, for his commitment to enabling digital economy.
“To ensure that we utilize the extension period judiciously, we urge all telecom subscribers who have NIN to link it to their SIM Cards through available channels as soon as possible. Those yet to enroll are advised to visit www.nimc.gov.ng for a list of enrolment centres close to them.”
On Tuesday, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) released a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.
Adinde said by the end of a review meeting on January 18, 2021, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been received by the mobile operators, at an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber.
NIN registration: Telecoms operators speak on Buhari govt extending deadline
