Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami said in a statement on Friday, April 2 that the request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it.

The statement jointly signed by Dr Ikechukwu Adinde of NCC and Kayode Adegoke of NIMC read “The meeting took place on Thursday, April 1, 2021, and approval was given to extend the period of the NIN-SIM linkage to the 6th of May, 2021. The request for the extension was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari and he endorsed it.  With each individual having an average of 3 to 4 SIMs, the total number of SIMs tied to NINs would close to the total number of registered SIMs in the country. The Chairman of the EFCC addressed the meeting and stated that the NIN-SIM linkage would support the Federal Government in checkmating the activities of fraudsters and cybercriminals.  The Honourable Minister noted the importance of obtaining feedback from all stakeholders in order to ensure that the NIN-SIM linkage process is one that cannot easily be compromised”

In a press release signed by the Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications, Uwa Suleiman, he said that the report signed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission contained precise figures of improperly registered SIM cards in use around the country.

The Commission in its report disclosed that an estimated nine million two hundred thousand (9.2M) SIM cards did not comply with the proper procedures of SIM registration. The investigation which was carried out at the behest of the minister, has exposed for the first time in the Telecomms history of Nigeria, in precise detail, the magnitude of defaulters.

Reacting to the report, the minister expressed concern over the security implication of this discovery and further directed that the Telecomms regulator, should with immediate effect, ensure that all improperly registered numbers are duly reregistered.

To ensure maximum compliance, Dr Pantami, has directed NCC to ensure all mobile network operators block all SIM cards that do not meet proper registration standards until users comply with proper reregistration procedures.

The security implication of this irregularity is too grave to ignore and the Federal Ministry of Communications will not tolerate any actions or inactions that will compromise the nation’s security.