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FG declares NIN mandatory for bank account, voter registration
By Modupe Shodeinde
The Federal Government on Thursday, said the National Identity Number (NIN) is mandatory for opening bank accounts, paying tax and voter registration.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said this in Abuja while hosting the newly elected National Executive Council of the Association Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
He stated that the NIN is the primary Identity of all citizens and the government wants ensure every citizens have their by various NIN.
He said, “This is most importantly in the area of NIN, which is a mandatory number, based on the NIMC order of 2007 that has actively been neglected for years.
“It is key to our national planning, budget, security, social development and many more. But it was neglected despite being a mandatory number.”
He added, “So we’ve come up with so many policies trying to ensure that our citizens obtain the number.
It is important beyond SIM registration. It is important for whatever you do because it is the primary identity of our citizens.
“There’s no identity that will define you as a citizen more than that number. It is mandatory. And it is mandatory for transactions such as opening bank accounts, paying tax, voter registration and many more.”
Pantami urged operators in the sector to work with the government in ensuring that all citizens in Nigeria had the NIN.
He said that this would benefit the country economically, as the contributions of the telecoms sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product would further increase.
The minister also stated that according to Section 27 of the NIMC Act, to partake and enjoy government services without the NIN was an offence, which could attract imprisonment as captured in Section 29 of same Act.
The ATCON President, Ikechukwu Nnamani, said there had been progress in NIN registration and told his host that operators would work with the government to move the sector forward.
Aside from bridging the infrastructure funding gap, he also called for the full implementation of the Right-of-Way policy.
He also pointed out the need to address the issue of multiple taxation and other regulatory challenges.
