Over 120 million mobile subscribers in Nigeria risk disconnection from their network today as the National Identification Number, NIN, and Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, integration ends today.
The Federal Government of Nigeria had in December 2021, extended the deadline for the NIN-SIM data verification to March 31 this year.
All citizens including legal residents were urged to complete the enrollment, verification and NIN-SIM integration on or before the new date.
Investigations however revealed that no fewer than 120 million subscribers are yet to enrol at press time.
It is not clear if the commission would disconnect defaulters as the deadline ends today.
Director of Public Affairs of NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, said the commission would issue a statement today.
Nigeria has over 198,000,000 active telephone subscribers, but report from the NCC indicate that the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, had issued over 71 million NINs with over 14,000 enrolment centres set up across the country as at December 30,2021.
Meanwhile, the Commission had reiterated the need for subscribers to comply with and ensure that they register their SIM through its social media handles recently.
NCC said: “If you have not linked your NIN to your SIM, hurry up and do so before the deadline.”
The NCC had on several occasions extended the registration deadline from January 2021 to February, June, July, October and December 2021.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, had also conveyed the federal government’s approval for the latest extension of the deadline for the exercise.
“This extension would enable the Federal Government to consolidate the gains of the process and accelerate the enrolment of Nigerians in key areas like the remote areas, diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, and the registration of legal residents,” he said.
