President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the extension for linking the national identity numbers (NINs) to SIM registration data. The extension will take effect from January 19 to February 9, 2021.

This was made known in a statement Wednesday issued by Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

The statement which was jointly signed by ALTON chairman and publicity secretary, disclosed that the association had received a formal confirmation from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that Mr. Buhari had approved the extension of the ongoing NIN/SIM enrollment.

“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.

“To ensure that we utilise the extension period judiciously, we urge all telecom subscribers who have a 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,” it said.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had insisted that citizens must file their NIN registration in person, even if their Bank Verification Number (BVN) has generated the identity number. 

The commission had disclosed that non-compliance with directives to integrate the identity number to phone lines will result in deactivation of phone lines.