Nigerians who do not have the National Identification Number face the risk of seven or 14- year imprisonment, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has warned.
He also pointed out that the government has no plans to lift the ban on new Subscriber Identification Module, SIM, registrations soon, for security reasons.
Pantami said these at the ministerial briefing organized by the Presidential Media Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, explain the possession of the NIN by every Nigerian and the imprisonment term for defaulters, are constitutional provisions.
Citing Section 27 of the NIMC Act of 2007, he explained that although obtaining a SIM card from a telecom operator might be optional, NIN is mandatory.
According to the Minister, the law makes it a criminal offense in Nigeria for someone to undertake business activities without first acquiring the NIN number.
“The NIMC Act, clause 27 states that you need the NIN number for opening bank accounts, for insurance, land transactions, voters’ registration, drivers licenses. So, it is an offense to transact any business activity without first having your NIN,” he said.
He explained that it is an offence to pay taxes, have a voter’s card, or even pay pension without the NIN.
The deadline for SIM holders to link their numbers to the NIN is April 6, 2021, but there have been some court judgments lately asking the government to extend the deadline. The government indicated on Thursday that only 51 million Nigerians had been registered for NIN as of March 1, 2021, a development that gives hope for an extension of the deadline.
The minister said the number of SIM card subscribers that had been linked to NIN was over 150 million.
Pantami said the decision to suspend SIM registration by telecom companies has been one of the hardest he has taken as a minister but noted that the sacrifices and inconvenience were worth it.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions taken as a Minister. It is a very painful decision but we had to take it.’’
According to him, in addressing the issue of security, the economy takes backstage.
“President Muhammadu Buhari gives priority to security because it is our number one primary responsibility as a government. “The ban on SIM may affect our economy in some ways but when addressing the issue of security, the issue of economy is second because you have to protect your citizens before you talk of economy.
“The decision was taken in order to ensure that we contribute our quota in making our country safe and secure for all. We know it’s painful but it’s necessary,” he said.
