Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Isa Pantami

  • Striking National Identity Management Workers Return to Work

    Striking National Identity Management Workers Return to Work

    Normal activities regarding the registration of Nigerians for the National Identity Numbers have now resumed across the country after activities

    were suspended at the various offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) nationwide during the week due to strike action by workers.

    The resumption followed the intervention of the Federal Government through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami,

    According to a statement signed by the commission’s spokesman, Kayode Adegoke, on Saturday, the glitches experienced since January 6 have been resolved.

    The statement read that: the Commission “is glad to inform the general public that normal enrolment services for the National Identification Number (NIN) have been fully restored at all NIMC offices nationwide as the glitches experienced since January 6, 2021, have been sorted out.”

    Enrolment services were temporarily disrupted when the local chapter of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) of NIMC embarked on industrial action on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, immediately after their congress, Adegoke said.

    He said Dr Pantami who promptly intervened in the matter, assured the workers that their grievances would be addressed.

    According to him, Dr Pantami advised them to empathise with Nigerians especially at this time that linkage of the NIN with the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards was ongoing for the security of lives and property in the country.

    Adegoke said the Director-General of NIMC, Engr Aliyu Aziz also thanked Nigerians for their understanding in the face of the challenges posed by the two-day disruption of the enrolment process.

    He assured that the Management of NIMC would address the welfare, health and safety concerns of all staff of the Commission, especially as related to the COVID 19 pandemic.

    Engr. Aziz enjoined staff to go about their normal duties while fully observing the COVID-19 protocols as they enroll Nigerians and other eligible individuals, Adegoke stated.

    He also gave the assurance that more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) would be made available to staff, in addition to those already donated by the World Bank which had since been distributed to all NIMC offices nationwide.

  • SIM registration: FG Backtracks on NIN Retrieval Fee

    SIM registration: FG Backtracks on NIN Retrieval Fee

    The N20 USSD fee imposed by Nigerian telecommunications and National Identity Management Commission on subscribers for National Identification Number retrieval requests has been canceled.

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami directed the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Identity Management Commission to remove the fee.

    Recently, NCC directed telecommunication service providers to block SIM cards not registered with NIN, giving a two weeks deadline for SIM holders in Nigeria to respond.

    Authorities had listed 173 centres and 30 state government institutions approved for NIN enrolment across country.

    Part of issues arising from the directive was that subscribers who had enrolled for NIN in the past might not remember their identification numbers, a situation telecos and government’s registration agency, NIN sought to exploit by requiring citizens to pay a fee for the retrieval.

    According to a statement on Friday by the spokesperson for the minister, Uwa Suleiman, the government ordered telcos to stop the deduction for NIN retrieval.

    “The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, Orders Cancellation Of NIN Retrieval Charge Across All Networks’.

    “The Minister’s directive which takes immediate effect, is an intervention aimed at making the process easier and affordable.

    “In a letter conveying the implementation of the directive, the Executive Vice Chairman NCC and the Director-General of NIMC informed Dr Pantami that the relevant authorities had met with, and negotiated a waiver with the Mobile Network Operators in that regard.

    “By this waiver, all Nigerians, subscribers and applicants can access the service using the *346# code for their NIN retrieval at no charge for the duration of the NIN/SIM Card integration exercise”, the statement read.