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Nigerian government cancels N20 NIN retrieval charges

Only 42 million Nigerians have obtained NIN since the national database programme commenced over a decade ago.

• December 18, 2020
Telcos

Communications minister Isa Pantami has asked telecom providers to rescind N20 charges imposed on Nigerians to check national identification number (NIN).

The minister in a Friday morning statement hoped the telecom providers would comply with the directive with immediate effect.

The announcement came as the government was facing criticism for announcing an arbitrary deadline for deactivation of telephone lines not linked to NIN.

Only 42 million Nigerians have obtained NIN since the national database programme commenced over a decade ago; while subscriber base for telephone lines was pegged at 205 million last month.

This could leave 163 million telephone lines at risk of being disconnected by the end of the deadline on December 31, 2020 — two weeks away.

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