The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it has successfully completed the federal government’s policy linking all phone numbers to a National Identification Number (NIN).

The milestone was confirmed by Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, at the 2024 Annual Corporate Governance Conference held in Lagos on Thursday.

The NIN-SIM linkage policy, introduced in 2020, aims to enhance national security, curb insecurity, and streamline the identification process. The policy requires all mobile phone subscribers to link their phone numbers to their NIN.

Maida said, “We have recently concluded the implementation of the federal government’s 2020 policy of linking every phone number to a NIN. Though it was a bit painful for Nigerians, I think we also need to appreciate what that does for us.”

He emphasized that this initiative has ensured that every phone number can now be associated with a verified NIN.

“Today, there is no phone number that we cannot associate with a verified NIN. Not just a number, but a number that has been verified,” Maida added.

Recall that in August, NCC announced September 14, 2024, as the final deadline for Nigerians for the SIM-NIN linkage exercise.