The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had earlier mandated the telecommunications operators in the country to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN) within 2 weeks.

This means that failure of the subscribers to register with NIN will lead to the blocking or disconnection of the line by the end of December 31, 2020, despite the huge public outcry against the sudden announcement of the policy and short time frame to implement it.

The Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have also directed that subscribers can link their NIN to more than one sim card. They said telecom subscribers should take their NIN to the office of their service provider.

However, some Nigerians who posses NIN are still unsure how to go about linking their phone numbers to their NIN

Here are a few steps to link your phone number with your NIN;

MTN users

To link your NIN, simply dial *785# using the phone number you wish to link, enter your NIN and submit or;
Dial *785#Your NIN# from the phone number you wish to link. The number will be linked to your NIN automatically.
Visit https://mtnonline.com/nim/using your phone or computer.
Complete the NIN linking form by entering your name, phone number, NIN, and email address.
Submit the form as soon as you’re done.
Wait for feedback from the network.

Airtel Users

To link your NIN to your Airtel phone number, follow the steps below:

Dial *121# on the Airtel line you wish to link.
Type 1 for “NIN Capture” and send.
Enter your 11-digit NIN and send.
Wait for the message confirming your submission. If you get an error, just wait for some time and try again.

Other networks (Glo and 9mobile)

For the other networks, you simply visit the nearest office of your service provider (Glo or 9mobile) to register/link your NIN.
Go with NIN and your SIM pack or call the customer care line of your service provider.
9mobile said it is making effort to develop a system that would make things simple for its customers. You can check your NIN status by dialling *346# from your 9mobile line.

What you should know

It can be recalled that following the directive of NCC to telecommunication operators on 2-week ultimatum to disconnect sim cards not registered with NIN; the NIMC warned the general public to beware of fraudsters and scammers who are on the prowl to swindle unsuspecting people.
NIMC said that Nigerians already enrolled in the NIMC scheme but have lost their NIN should dial *346# to retrieve the NIN. It also said that USSD code is available on MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile.
Don’t wait till it’s too late. Link your National Identification Number (NIN) to your phone number. Just dial *121*1# now to link, and *346# to know your NIN. pic.twitter.com/q5sQ2Dbe6r
— Airtel Nigeria (@AirtelNigeria) December 17, 2020

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.