The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says telecommunications companies have been licensed to register people for their National Identity Numbers (NINs).
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, said the decision was taken to reduce the crowds at various NIMC offices nationwide.
He added that some other private and public organisations had also been licensed by the commission to register Nigerians who do not have their NINs.
“We have licensed private and public sector organisations including telcos (telecommunications companies) so as to create more centres,” he told The PUNCH.
Naija News reports that the Federal Government had fixed December 30, 2020, for the registration of all SIMs with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies, saying all unregistered SIMs would be blocked.
It later extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement and gave three weeks’ extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.
The NIMC also gave six weeks’ extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021.
Meanwhile, the commission had announced the commencement of the National Identity Number (NIN) enrolment of foreign diplomats in Nigeria.
Recall that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had directed the NIMC to set up an enrolment centre for diplomats at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
In a statement on Friday, NIMC’s spokesperson, Kayode Adegoke, revealed that NIN enrolment for diplomats has begun.
He said the directive by Pantami was in a bid to ensure seamless enrolment of all diplomats across the country for the purpose of the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage and other needs.
He said: “The enrolment of the diplomats started on Monday, 18th January 2021.
“The NIMC wishes to assure members of the general public that all hands are on deck to ensure the enrolment of all Nigerians and legal residents into the National Identity Database.”
Pantami had stated that an enrolment centre has been established for diplomats at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He stated that the NIN registration centre is being set up based on the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.