Tag: SIM card registration

FG extends NIN-SIM linkage till Dec 31st, as enrolment hits 66 million

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government has extended the on-going National Identification Number, (NIN), and subscriber identity module, (SIM), integration exercise till December 31, 2021. It was gathered that the deadline was shifted from the previous date of October 31. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, conveyed the approval of the federal government to extend the deadline in a statement issued yesterday. The statement was jointly signed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s Director of Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde,and Head of Corporate Communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC),…

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‘Why we banned Under-18s from getting new SIM cards’ – NCC

Aminu Imam

The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), has cleared the air on banning Under-18s from getting new Subscriber Identity Module, (SIM) cards. The NCC spokesman, Ikechukwu Adinde, in an issued statement yesterday, said the age of 18 years for SIM acquisition present in the draft regulation is based on the constitutional provision, which makes 18 years the age of consent in Nigeria.      According to the Commission, “We would like to draw the attention of the public to a publication in a section of the media, purporting that the Commission is developing a…

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NIN-SIM Linkage: MTN Nigeria lost 7.6m subscribers in 6 months

Aminu Imam

The largest network by market share, MTN Nigeria, has stated that it lost 7.6 million mobile subscribers in the first half of 2021. This was stated by the telco in its unaudited results for the half-year ended June 30, 2021, posted on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) over the weekend. This is a 9.9 percent decline from December 2020. Recall that MTN Nigeria had lost 4.84 million in the first quarter of the year as a result of the stifling of growth in Nigeria’s telecoms sector caused by regulatory policies. Recall…

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Again, FG extends NIN-SIM verification deadline

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government has further extended the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to October 31, 2021. The Director, Public Affairs Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), Ikechukwu Adinde; and the Head, Corporate Communications, Nigeria Identity Management Commission, Kayode Adegoke, made this known in a joint statement on Monday, titled: ‘FG Extends NIN-SIM verification deadline to 31st October, 2021?. Prior before now, FG had approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26, 2021. The statement noted that the registration focus is now expected to shift to remote and…

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FG extends NIN-SIM verification to July 26

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government says it has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26. This was communicated via an issued statement on Monday, signed jointly by spokespersons of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) and the Nigeria Identity Management Commission, (NIMC). At least 57.3 million Nigerians have enrolled for the NIN, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN, according to the agencies. “The decision to extend the deadline was made after a request by stakeholders on the need to consolidate the enrolment and…

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FG lifts ban on new SIM card activation

Aminu Imam

The Federal Government has lifted the ban imposed on activation and registration of new Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards.  This was contained in the revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. A statement issued by the  Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, reads in part: “The effective date for implementation, the government said, is Monday, April 19, 2021″. It however placed the National Identity Number (NIN) registration as mandatory for registering new SIM cards. The…

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NIN: Court bars FG from blocking SIM cards

Aminu Imam

A Federal High Court in Lagos State has barred the Federal Government from blocking Subscriber Identification Module, (SIM), cards not linked to National Identity Numbers, (NINs), next month. The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy had, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), asked operators to block all SIM cards not linked to NIN by April 9, 2021. The deadline had caused many Nigerians to gather at offices of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC), in disregard of Covid-19 protocols. However, a former second National Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association…

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NIN: NITDA provides ICT centres to decongest NIMC offices

Aminu Imam

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has said that the agency has provided an ICT-centre to address the overcrowded National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) office in the State.  The overcrowding, which followed a directive by the Federal government for the nationwide SIM card registration alongside the NIMC registration of 19th January as deadline, has generated panic and pandemonium at the centre in the State.  Residents of the state have who defied most of the covid-19 protocols have on a daily basis, besieged the…

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