President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the NIN-SIM Policy with effect from the Monday 4th of April, 2022.

This is even as the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.

This therefore implies that Nigerians who have not registered their NIN and or link it with their SIM will have their Outgoing calls barred from the 4th of April, 2022.

The affected subscribers of such lines are however advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.

Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has commended Nigerians and Legal Residents for their support during the exercise to link National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), as over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication. This is even as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.

Professor Pantami specially appreciates President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) for his tremendous support. He also commends the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Azeez Abubakar along with their Management and Staff, as well as other notable bodies whose efforts have seen to the monumental success of the exercise. The Minister also extends his thanks to the telecommunication operators for their support towards the success recorded.

The Honourable Minister also emphasized that enrolment for the NIN is a continuous exercise and NIN is a precondition for service in Telcos, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and for several other government services. He also encouraged Nigerians and legal residents to visit NIN registration centers for the enrollment and issuance of valid NINs.

President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, in 2020, gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the exercise, as part of the administration’s security and social policies. The deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy. The FG also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies – Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others – for the extension of the deadlines in the past.