New SIM card registration to commence on the 19th of April.

The federal government has approved the
activation of new SlM card registration with mandatory NIN.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami who issued the directive on Thursday said the approval was in line with the Revised National Digital ldentity Policy for SIM Card Registrátion.

A statement by the Technical Assistant
(Information Technology) to the Minister, Dr Femi Adeluyi said the implementation of the Policy will commence on Monday 19th of April 2021.

Adeluyi explained that the issuance of new SIMs and other suspended activities will resume on the same date, as long as verification is done and the guidelines are fully adhered to.

“A Telecoms Master will also be required
for Corporates requiring loT/M2M activations. The full details of the requirements for each class of service will be made available in due course.”

On NIN registration, Adeluyi stated that significant progress has been made in the
process across the country, noting that that the Federal Government is committed to supporting all Nigerians and legal residents to obtain a NIN.
“The biometric verification process has been slower than anticipated, owing largely to the non-adherence of many previous SIM biometric capture processes to the NIMC standards.

“The Revised Policy will ensure that operators conform to the required standards for biometric capture. “The Guidelines in the Policy have been
painstakingly developed and while they are thorough, it should be noted that they have been developed that way in National interest since the SlIM is essentially a national resource he explained.

He encouraged citizens and legal residents to bear with the government as the process has been developed in the best interest of the country.