The Federal Government over the weekend disclosed that it will make it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain the National Identification Number (NIN) as a prerequisite for owning a phone number.
This NIN mandate comes in the aftermath of the visa restrictions slammed on the country by the United States.
Mohammed Manga, the Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Interior, made this known in a statement on Thursday.
He said the Committee on Citizens Data Management and Harmonisation suggested mandatory use of NIN by all Mobile Network Operations (MNOs) for issuance of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM).
The spokesman announced that this compulsory NIN registration will take effect from June 30, 2021.
The committee recommended exclusive storage of Biometric data in the National identity Database.
It advised the discontinuance of biometric data storage of new registration by all agencies and institutions.