As the September 15 deadline for the National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) linkage nears, many Nigerian subscribers are experiencing technical challenges while attempting to upload their details on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) portal. The President of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), Adeolu Ogungbanjo, has raised concerns over the situation, calling it “terrible” and urging for immediate improvements to the portal’s capacity and staffing at telecom centers.
Subscribers face issues due to congestion on the NIMC website, with many struggling to complete the process before the deadline. Despite over 153 million SIMs being successfully linked to NIN, about four percent of the population is at risk of missing the deadline due to ongoing technical problems.
NIMC, however, reassures the public of its capacity to manage the registration process, with ongoing efforts to educate users on how to complete the process smoothly. The NIN-SIM linkage policy, introduced in 2020 to boost national security and reduce fraud, has seen a 96 percent compliance rate so far.
