Market News

BY  Sami Tunji

The Federal Government has extended the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to October 31.

This was contained in a joint statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, and the Head, Corporate Communications at Nigeria Identity Management Commission, Mr Kayode Adegoke issued on Saturday.

The statement was titled ‘FG Extends NIN-SIM verification deadline to 31st october, 2021 as focus shifts to remote and hard-to-reach areas, schools and health centres’.

According to the statement, the extension was due to a request by stakeholders to ensure that the registration gets to hard-to-reach areas as well as outside the country.

It read, “The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to the 31st of October, 2021.

“The decision to extend the deadline was made following a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions, diaspora and address low enrolments in schools and hospitals, as evidenced by enrolment statistics.”

The statement said more than 5,500 enrolment systems were available in and outside the country to ease the enrolment and linkage process.

It added, “As of July 24th, 2021, there are over 5,500 enrolment systems within and outside the country and this would significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.

“The NIN-SIM linkage also makes it easier for the security agencies to carry out their statutory duties and the relevant parastatals under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy are supporting them as required.”

The press statement further stated that 59.8 million unique NIN enrolments have been captured since the enrolment process began.