By Leshi Adebayo
After several months of extending the deadline for linking SIMs with National Identification Number (NIN), the Federal Government has given the directive to all telecommunication companies to restrict all outgoing calls coming from unlinked lines.
The directive, which is duly approved by the Federal Government, is said to be effective from April 4, 2022.
This development was made known in a joint statement by Director of Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde and NIMC Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke with the signature of Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami on Monday.
It read in part, “Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage.
“At this point, however, Government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents. The implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.
“Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022.”
The statement added that, “Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines. Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centres and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.”
According to reports, the Federal Government currently has a record of over 125 million SIMs that have their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication while the NIMC has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.
