Digital ID link deadline for SIMs extended by Nigeria

A March 31 deadline for linking national digital ID numbers with SIM cards in Nigeria has been pushed back by “a few days” with an announcement from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). “Round-the-clock” enrollment services will be offered for the duration, according to the announcement.

The statement was made jointly by Ikechukwu Adinde of the NCC and Kayode Adegoke of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

National Identification Number (NIN) issuances have reached 77.1 million, according to statistics from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) reported by The Guardian Nigeria. The same statistics seem to indicate more than 126 million people in the country remain with a NIN, but how many of them are mobile subscribers is unknown.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Isa Pantami was joined by NIMC CEO and Director General Aliyu Aziz and NCC EVP Professor Umar Garba Danbatta in urging Nigerians to make use of the remaining time before the unspecified closure of the process.

The previously-announced March 31, 2022 deadline has already been extended multiple times, nine according to Premium Times. MTN Nigeria’s Soyinka Shodunke declined to specify how many subscribers would have their services revoked if a deadline is reached and enforced in a recent ID4Africa livecast.

India threatens fines for missed PAN-Aadhaar link deadline

Similarly in India, the deadline for linking the national digital ID, Aadhaar, with PAN tax accounts was March 31, and the country’s federal government is threatening fines of Rs 1,000 (approximately US$13.15) for those whole fail to register the connection, The Tribune India writes.

PAN (Permanent Account Number) credentials are used for income tax collection. The original deadline for Indians to link their PAN and Aadhaar accounts was in 2018.

The fines wills start at Rs 500 ($6.08) on April 1, and double after three months.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  identity verification  |  India  |  national ID  |  National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  |  National Identity Number (NIN)  |  Nigeria  |  SIM card registration