Is It True that Those Who Registered for BVN Automatically Have NIN? Here is What NIMC Said
- The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has reacted to the claim that those who registered for BVN automatically have NIN
- According to NIMC's spokesperson, Kayode Adegoke, the claim is incorrect as the commission must capture peoples’ data first before allocating NIN to them
- Adegoke, however, admitted that the commission had earlier harmonised its data with some BVN data
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There is a trending claim on social media that Nigerians who enrolled for the Bank Verification Number (BVN) as early as 2014 already have National Identity Number (NIN) and do not need to register for it again.
This follows the federal government's directive asking telecommunications companies to block all SIM cards that are not linked with valid NINs within a two-week deadline which was recently extended.
The government gave three weeks’ extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020, to January 19, 2021.
Source: Twitter
It also gave six weeks’ extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020, to February 9, 2021.
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Thousands of Nigerians have been crowding the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) registration centres in disregard for coronavirus protocols as they make efforts to register for the NIN before the new deadline closes.
However, amid the rush for registration, there are viral claims on social media that those who had registered for BVN already have NIN.
Akin Alabi, a member of the House of Representatives (Ona-Ara/Egbeda Federal Constituency) also shared a similar message on Twitter.
The tweet reads:
"If you have NIN and can’t remember when you registered for it, it’s because when you got your BVN when it was introduced in 2014, one was assigned to you, I gathered."
The lawmaker's tweet follows the claim by some Nigerians that they found out they have NIN after dialling the shortcode provided for verification, *346#, but could not remember enrolling for the NIN in the past.
NIMC reacts to the claim
According to The Punch, NIMC's spokesperson, Kayode Adegoke, explained that the commission must capture Nigerians’ data first before NIN could be allocated them.
Reacting specifically to the viral claim, Adegoke was quoted to have said:
“The information is incorrect. We have linked our data with BVN. People need to come to our office to register. If you have not registered with NIMC, go to our centres and register.
“Truly, we have harmonised our data with some BVN data. But it is an incomplete process until you register with NIMC. if you don’t register with NIMC, efforts to generate your NIN will show record not found.
“For people not to have their lines cut off, they should disregard the message and register appropriately.”
The NIMC's spokesperson described as incorrect the claim that all those who had registered for BVN automatically have NIN allocated to them.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng has explained how Nigerians can link their phone numbers with the NIN in simple steps.
The explainer provides the guidelines on how to connect the NIN to the various mobile networks available in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
