Federal Government has said as at April 1, 2021, over 51 million Nigerians have enrolled for National Identity Number (NIN) in the country.
Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents.
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He spoke at the sixth edition of the ministerial briefing organised by Presidential Media Team at the Presidential Villa in the nation’s capital.
Pantami warned that while the failure to obtain NIN could lead to between seven and 14 years imprisonment for Nigerians as stipulated by the Constitution, no one should enjoy government services without the number.
He stressed that although obtaining a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card was optional, it was mandatory for all citizens to enroll for NIN.
Pantami stated that it was important for transactions in the country to be conducted with NIN.
He believes rather than the population census which can be manipulated, NIN will determine the accurate number of Nigerians because of its uniqueness and tamper-proof.
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Pantami equally announced that the aggregate registration for SIM across the country has hit 189 million.
He explained that out of the figure, 51 million are completed registration while the remaining have problems of improper registration.
The minister decried that improper registration of SIMs has posed a challenge and the government has begun to address them.
The deadline was previously given as February 9, 2021 from previous deadlines of December 30, 2020 and January 19, 2021, respectively.
Mobile phone subscribers who do not integrate their NINs with their phone numbers by April 6, would have their phone lines suspended or blocked.
