Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has warned that Nigerian who fail to enroll for the National Identity Number (NIN) risk imprisonment.
Pantami, who stated this at the sixth edition of the ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential media team at the State House, Abuja, noted that the Nigerian Constitution stimulates that no one should enjoy government services without the NIN number.
The minister argued that whereas Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card may be optional, NIN is mandatory and it is required in most transactions in Nigeria
According to the minister, while the population census can be manipulated, NIN will determine the accurate number of Nigerians because of it is unique and tamper-proof, pointing out that about 51 million Nigerians have already enrolled for the NIN.
He disclosed that the aggregate registration for SIM across Nigeria has risen to 189 million, out of which 150million have completed registration while the remaining have problems of improper registration.