By Babajide Okeowo
Amid confusion caused by the use of shortcodes to generate the National Identification Number, NIN the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC has warned Nigerians not to depend on the NIN generated during the Bank Verification Number, BVN registration.
The NIN is invalid until updated at the NIMC enrollment Center, the NIMC clarified via its Twitter handle on Tuesday.
“NIN generated by the BVN can only be used after it has been updated at the NIMC enrollment Center. You must complete your NIN registration even if your BVN has generated a NIN.
If your NIN was generated due to BVN record harmonisation with the National Identity Database, you will not have access to the NIMC mobile APP and your NIN-SIM integration will be invalid.
Kindly visit an enrollment centre to complete your NIN” the tweet read.
Recall that some Nigerians had claimed that they had not visited any NIMC enrollment centre, they got a NIN after their BVN registration.
Recall also that the Federal Government had declared on December 15, 2020, that after December 30, 2020, all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked.
But on Monday, December 21, 2020, it extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement.
The government gave three weeks extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020, to January 19, 2021.
It also gave six weeks’ extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020, to February 9, 2021.
