NIN registration: Don’t block customers from networks till deadline, says Buhari

Phone lines will not be blocked before the deadline for NIN registration

 President Buhari has ordered mobile networks not to cut off lines of subscribers

 The latest order follows outcries from Nigerians who are yet to register for their NINs and link it with their phone numbers.

Ahead of the February 9 dead for the National Identification Number (NIN) registration conducted by the National Identification Management Communication (NIMC), the presidency has given an important update.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, January 20, warned all telecommunication mobile operators not to block the lines of subscribers before the deadline.

The order of the president was confirmed by the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

According to President Buhari’s order, no mobile network operator is allowed to block the lines of subscribers before the deadline

In appreciation of the president’s concern for their customers, ALTON said:

“ALTON can confirm to our members that we have received formal confirmation from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that President Muhammadu Buhari has graciously approved the extension of the deadline for subscribers with NIN to link it to their SIM registration data from 19th January to 9th February 2021.

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“We 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. We are also grateful to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Ali Pantami, for his commitment to enabling digital economy.”

Understandably, the concession from President Buhari came on the heels of outcries from Nigerians who are yet to link phone numbers with their NINs.

Earlier, the federal government on Tuesday, January 19, insisted that the February 9 deadline would stand.

Speaking on the development, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) said the telecoms operators have been told to shut down SIMs not linked with NIN after the last day.

Leakblast.com noted that Nigerians have been urging the government to extend the deadline, citing the population of the country and the outdated facilities of NIMC impending the full integration of subscribers into the NCC database.

But NCC, through the Technical Implementation Committee (TIC) under the Ministerial Task Force (MTF), said there is no going back on its decision.

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