The Federal government has insisted that the deadlines given for the registration of all Subscriber Identification Modules with valid National Identity Numbers were still in force.
Recall that in December 2020, the Federal government issued a directive to all mobile network providers to block telephone lines that are not linked with a valid NIN number. This has seen many Nigerians thronging the various NIN registration centers to get their numbers.
Following the widespread opposition to the initial deadline for synchronization, the Federal government gave a three-week extension for subscribers with NIN to link their sim cards from December 30, 2020, to January 19, 2021. It also gave a six-week extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020, to February 9, 2021
As the nation experiences the second wave of the COVID19, there have been calls for the deadline for the synchronization of NINS and Sim cards to be extended or better still be suspended.
However, in a chat with Punch, the Director, Public Affairs, of the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde, said the deadline was still in force.
“The deadlines are still in force; there is no update for now, and just like I told you last week, if there is any change, it will be communicated”he said