The news:
- The telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Nigeria’s identity management agency, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), have announced a strategic collaboration to enhance the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage processes for the country’s telecom subscribers.
- The development was disclosed in a joint statement released by both agencies and signed by Ayodele Babalola, the Technical Adviser to the Director General (DG) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIMC, and Reuben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs of NCC.
- Per the statement, the NIN-SIM linkage exercise has become a hot conversation topic across the country, underlining the significance of matching SIM registrations with owners’ unique national identification numbers.
The statement also notes the importance of the initiative in bolstering Nigeria’s security and improving service delivery. The partnership is expected to improve processes and enhance efficiency.
The agencies will work together to use each other's expertise and resources in many areas to achieve their goal.
One area is streamlining the NIN-SIM linkage process to ensure a seamless experience for telecom subscribers by facilitating swift NIN verifications and authentications during the SIM registration and activation phases.
Through its robust database and authentication infrastructure, NIMC will continue to support NCC in verifying NINs associated with SIM registrations. Telecom operators can better validate submitted NINs, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of subscriber data.
Additionally, NIMC and NIN will work closely to align their policies and regulatory frameworks to easily integrate NIN-SIM linkage processes within the telecom ecosystem, and educate the public on NIN-SIM linkage requirements.
To increase public awareness and compliance, the agencies will launch educational campaigns and training sessions for stakeholders to encourage them to comply with the linkage directives.
In December 2020, the federal government announced the NIN-SIM linkage policy for the first time, mandating all telecom subscribers in Nigeria to link their SIM with their unique NIN.
Following a directive issued by the NCC in December 2023, all telecom companies operating in Nigeria, including MTN, Glo, and Airtel, were to implement complete service disconnection on all SIMs that don’t have their users’ NINs linked by February 28, 2024, after several extensions.
