Criminals feeling the heat on NIN-SIM verification, FG declares

The Federal Government, on Monday, bragged that criminals were displeased subsequent to its order on the verification of National Identification Number (NIN) with Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, disclosed that criminals were feeling uncomfortable with the situation because the NIN-SIM verification policy was set up to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami

In a string of tweets through his official Twitter handle, Pantami declared that there was no going back at all on the NIN-SIM verification exercise.

Pantami said, “On the issue of NIN-SIM verification to fight insecurity, there is no going back. Our priority as a government based on the provision of our constitution 1999 (as amended) Section 14(2)b is security, not just economy. For sure, no going back at all.

“FYI (for your information) all, by the Almighty, no amount of intimation will stop @IsaPantami from implementing the good policies of President Muhammadu Buhari on security.

“Finally, if you are yet to verify your SIM using NIN, do it very soon, before our next action. Criminals are feeling the heat.”

National Identification Number is used by the governments of many nations as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other governmentally-related functions.

It is issued and managed by National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and it is a set of eleven digits assigned to Nigerians and legal residents by the Government.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has extended the deadline for Nigerians to link their National Identification Number to their SIM cards by one month to May 6, 2021.