By Dipo Olowookere
A total of 47.8 million National Identification Numbers (NINs) of telecommunications subscribers have been linked to SIM cards in the country.
This information was revealed by the National Communications Commission (NCC), which directed mobile operators in Nigeria to disconnect any subscriber that fails to link his mobile number to NIN by Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
On December 15, 2020, the agency, which regulates the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, ordered telcos to remove subscribers that fail to synchronise their numbers with the NIN by December 30, 2020.
However, after an outcry from Nigerians, the deadline was shifted to today for those already with the NINs, while those without the NINs were asked to obtain theirs and submit to their network providers on or before Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Director of Public Affairs at the NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, disclosed that at the end of a review meeting held on Monday, January 18, 2021, the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force said there has been a “significant progress” in linkage exercise.
“So far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators. At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, this means many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021,” a part of the statement disclosed.
However, the statement said those who were yet to obtain their NINs for linkage with their SIM cards should urgently do so “before [the] February 9, 2021, deadline.”
It was disclosed that the linkage can be done seamlessly through a mobile application developed by the federal government. The statement said this app can allow subscribers to link up to a maximum of seven SIMs to their NIN from the comfort of their homes/offices.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, has advised Nigerians to The Minister concluded by reminding Nigerians to secure and protect their NINs, urging subscribers to properly guard their NINs.
He advised holders of the NINs not to sell or allow others to use them for registration, emphasising that, “For any [act] committed with the SIM, good or bad, it will be officially traced and attached to the NIN owner.”
This warning comes after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raised an alarm that some persons were buying and selling NINs.
“The EFCC wishes to alert Nigerians that it is not only illegal to sell their NIN, but they also stand the risk of vicarious liability for any act of criminality linked to their NIN.
“In other words, they risk arrest and prosecution for any act of criminality linked to their NIN whether or not they are directly responsible for such crimes,” the anti-graft agency had warned on January 7, 2021.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka