By Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has directed all telecom providers to remove the N20 charge imposed on Nigerians when checking their national identification number (NIN) with immediate effect.
Pantami said this in a statement on Friday morning. The minister stated he is hopeful that the telecom providers would comply with the directive.
This development followed the public criticism the government is facing, particularly on social media, for announcing an arbitrary deadline for deactivation of telephone lines not linked to NIN.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had said the submission of NIN by subscribers will be on until December 30, 2020, after which “all SIMs without NINs are to be blocked from the networks”.
