The Federal Government has directed that all outgoing calls in the country should be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from Mondqy, the 4th of April, 2022.
The directive followed the determination of the Federal Government that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents.
A release Monday morning, signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde quoted the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami as saying that the implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.
“Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.
“Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centres and thereafter, link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App,”the release quoted Pantami as saying.
The Honourable Minister also emphasized that enrolment for the NIN is a continuous exercise and NIN is a precondition for service in Telcos, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and for several other government services.
He also encouraged Nigerians and legal residents to visit NIN registration centres for the enrollment and issuance of valid NINs.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the NIN-SIM linkage exercise in December 2020, as part of the administration’s security and social policies.
The deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy.
“The FG also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies including the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others – for the extension of the deadlines in the past.
“Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage,” the statement further read.
As of date, over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication.
Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.
The Minister, therefore, commended Nigerians and Legal Residents for their support during the exercise to link National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module.
He specially appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his tremendous support, and also commended the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Azeez Abubakar along with their Management and Staff, as well as other notable bodies whose efforts have seen to the monumental success of the exercise.
The Minister also extended his thanks to the telecommunication operators for their support towards the success recorded.