By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has given reasons Nigerians must obtain the National Identity Number (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Pantami stated this when a delegation from the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) paid him a visit on Thursday.
He said, ‘’NIN is a mandatory number that has been neglected for years.
“It is also the foundational identity for building our national economy.
‘It is key to our budget and national planning, key to our security and key to our social development.
‘’It is important that our citizens obtain the number beyond sim registration because it is the primary identity of the citizen.
‘’There is no other form of identity that will justify your citizenship other than that number.
‘’It is mandatory for transactions like opening of bank accounts and voter registration — even to patronize government services.
‘’It is contained in section 29 0f the NIMC Act, which says that if you fail to register and you do transaction, you have committed a crime that will lead to imprisonment, fine or both of them.
“Our people do not know what the law states.
‘’Knowing how important it is even beyond sim registration we always urge that citizens obtain it.
‘’The law only gives 60 days to obtain it after approval but now some stay 15 years before they can apply for it.’’
Receiving the delegation, the Minister appreciated their visit and welcomed their interest to support the federal government to develop the ICT sector.
The president of ATCON, Engr Ikechukwu Nnamani who led the delegation on a familiarization visit to the Minister, pledged support to the government to ensure the full implementation of national broadband plan, the Right of way (ROW) policy, develop a strategic plan to bridge the over 15 trillion naira infrastructure funding gap for the telecom/ICT industry and address issues of taxation.
