TheCable

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has asked telecoms consumers to link their national identification number (NIN) with their subscriber identity modules (SIMs) before the expiration of the deadline on October 31, 2021.

It said that citizens without NIN will soon be denied the opportunity of acquiring driving licences and international passports.

The NCC said this at its Digital Signature radio programme, which transmitted the second episode of Telecoms Consumer Town Hall to discuss the benefits of NIN-SIM integration.

Speaking during the programme, Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC director for public affairs, on Wednesday, said the October 31 deadline for NIN-SIM linkage remains sacrosanct.

He advised Nigerians to make use of the extension of the NIN-SIM integration exercise to October 31, 2021, to enrol with NIMC, get their NINs and link them to their SIMs.

“Soon, people without NIN will be denied necessary services that play vital roles in their lives, including the acquisition of driving licence, passport,” he said.

On the benefits of the NIN-SIM integration, Adinde said the exercise will significantly enhance national security as NIN is the primary identity for Nigerians.

He emphasised that the NIN-SIM database will enhance citizens’ access to government services, in line with the federal government’s commitment to ensure that Nigeria deploys technology to improve service delivery.

On his part, Efosa Idehen, NCC’s director of consumer affairs bureau, said: “Those SIMs without unique identification could be used to commit crimes that remain untraceable.”

Funmi Opesanwo, regional director of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Lagos, said that the submission of NIN to a mobile network provider helped to provide a means of verifying an individual’s identity and safeguarding both identity and mobile line.