FG approves new SIM activation registration with compulsory NIN

The Federal Government, on Thursday, disclosed that it had endorsed the activation of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) registration, but this must be completed with a valid National Identification Number (NIN).

It declared that the new SIM activation registration endorsement with compulsory NIN was in accordance with the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration.

The FG stated that the enactment of the policy would begin April 19, 2021, and issuing new SIMs and other deferred activities would resume on the same date, as long as verification was done and the procedures were completely followed.

The Technical Assistant, Information Technology, to the communications minister, Femi Adeluyi, announced this in a statement released in Abuja.

Adeluyi clarified that the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, Section 23(a), indicated the role of the minister to include the formulation, determination and monitoring of the general policy for the communications sector.

The statement said in accordance with this, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, organised and headed the improvement of a Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration in partnership with shareholders.

The statement partly read, “An earlier policy was approved on the February 4, 2020, while the revised policy was developed in early March 2021.

“The final amendments to the revised policy based on the directives of Mr. President to make the use of NIN mandatory for all SIM registration were completed yesterday, April 14, 2021.”

It declared that before that, the vital parts of the draft policy were presented to shareholders at the 4th Review Meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on the NIN-SIM registration which held on February 26, 2021.

It added that main shareholders and members of the MTF who joined the minister at the meeting were the heads of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), telecommunications firms, among others.

The statement stated that Pantami presented the updated policy to President Buhari on March 26, 2021 before it was approved.

It said, “The policy includes guidelines on new SIM acquisition and activation, SIM replacement, new SIM activation for corporates and internet-of-things/machine-to-machine, among others.

“The possession of a National Identity number will be a prerequisite for each of these categories. For the corporate registration, institutions will be required to appoint a telecoms master (at the minimum of an executive management level) to provide the operational primary NIN representation.

“The telecoms master will also be responsible for ensuring that the users provide their NINs to serve as a secondary NIN.”