The Nigerian Government has extended the deadline for the linkage of the National Identification Number, NIN, to Subscriber Identity Module, SIM.

Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy disclosed that the deadline was extended by three months.

By Pantami’s disclosure, the new deadline is now March 31, 2022.

Pantami’s directive was contained in a statement signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

He said the extension followed requests by Nigerians, both home and abroad.

The minister also said about 71 million Nigerians had obtained their NIN, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN.

The statement reads partly: “As of 30th December 2021, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over seventy-one million (71m) NINs with over fourteen-thousand (14,000) enrolment centres set up across the country.

“Following the request by stakeholders, including citizens, legal residents and Nigerians in the diaspora, the Federal Government has extended the deadline of the exercise to the 31st of March, 2022.

“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.

“The Honourable Minister has however implored Nigerians and legal residents to enrol for their NINs and link with their SIMs during this period of extension as more services will be requiring the NIN for identification.”