New sim card: National Identity Number now a requisite for registration

- The Nigerian government is making sure there is an effective database in the country

- The National Identity Number is now required before anyone registers a sim card

- Already registered SIM cards are required to be updated with NIN before Tuesday, December 1 2020

A new policy by the federal government indicates that persons registering new SIM cards will now be required to provide their National Identity Numbers (NIN).

This was disclosed by the minister of communications and digital economy, Dr Isa Pantami on Wednesday, February 5.

According to the minister, non-Nigerians will be required to provide their passports and visas for the process.

Pantami said the policy is based on the “feedback received from the security agencies following the successful revalidation of improperly registered SIM cards in September 2019 and the blocking of those that failed to revalidate their SIMs.”

PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update

He informed members of the public that already registered SIM cards should be updated with NIN before Tuesday, December 1 2020.

He also disclosed that only fully accredited agents can register new SIM cards according to the new policy.

Also, all individuals are entitled to a maximum of three SIM cards with the new policy.

Before now, experts have stated that Nigeria needs a national database of its citizens that can be used at all times.

The National Identity Management Commission is the agency with the mandate to create, own and manage the National Identity Database (NIDB) and issue unique identity tokens in the form of the NIN.

The NIN consists of 11 non-intelligible numbers randomly chosen and assigned to an individual at the completion of enrollment into the NIDB.

Already, NIN is a new requirement to write the UTME exams according to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede told journalists last year that the move is aimed towards cracking down on impersonators and other identity-related examination malpractice.

The initiative was, however, suspended for the 2019 UTME exams after both JAMB and NIMC were clearly overwhelmed by the huge number of students.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) - Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better

NIN: Buhari should be held responsible if I fail this JAMB - frustrated student cries out | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng