The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has set a deadline of September 14, 2024, for all Nigerians to connect their Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to their National Identity Numbers (NINs).
Notably, the Federal Government's 2020 policy to connect all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) to National Identity Numbers (NINs) has made substantial progress.
Currently, more than 153 million SIM cards are connected to an NIN, indicating an astounding 96 percent compliance rate, a significant rise from 69.7 percent in January 2024 in compliance.
The NCC is urging Nigerians to cooperate in achieving 100% compliance with the complete linkage of SIM cards to NINs, which enhances trust, security, and participation in the digital economy, promoting financial inclusion and economic growth.
The NCC has instructed all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to complete the mandatory verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024, to guarantee complete compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage policy.
The Commission anticipates that no SIM functioning in Nigeria will be without a valid NIN as of September 15, 2024.
“We urge all members of the public who have not yet completed their NIN-SIM linkage, or who have faced issues due to verification mismatches, to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline.
“Alternatively, the approved self-service portals are available for this purpose,” the statement read.
