Nigerians Should Get Ready To Link Nin With Their Bank Account – Minister Of Communication Notes

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami yesterday said the Federal Government would soon announce a timeline for Nigerians to link their National Identity Numbers (NINs) with their bank accounts.

Pantami, who spoke with State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said the timelines for the mandatory linking of the NIN to bank accounts would soon be released

The minister had also said NIN would replace the Bank Verification Number (BVN) because the latter was not backed by law.

Panatami had last year set between December 16 and 30, last year as timeline for telephone subscribers to link their Subscriber Identity Module (SIMs) with NINs. The government had warned that ‘violations of this directive will be met by stiff sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating licence’.

After an outcry by Nigerians over the timing of the directive which had led to subscribers crowding at the few registration centres of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) across the country in  disregard to the protocols of COVID-19, the National Task Force on National Identification Number (NIN) and SIM registration granted another extension.

Three weeks’extension was granted for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021; six-  week extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021.

The Federal Government finally gave new deadline April 6, 2021, but stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to extend allow the exercise to run for, at least, six months and even remove the timeline in its entirety.