The approval was given during a review meeting of the Ministerial Task Force on the NIN-SIM registration held on Friday, February 26, 2021.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

Other approvals at the meeting included the extension of the tenure of NIN Enrolment Agent Licenses for MNOs from 1 to 5 years in consideration of their satisfactory performance, subject to continuous monitoring.

The decision, it was stated, was to simplify the enrolment process for Nigerians and legal residents.

Also, the technical committee was mandated to complete the development of a new SIM issuance strategy that cannot be compromised.

That, it was said, was to ensure that there was no repeat of the past process that was compromised through pre-registration by some agents.

A multi-sectoral adhoc committee was tasked to immediately complete the review of the processes for new SIM activations for legal residents staying in Nigeria for less than 24 months.

The membership of the committee was drawn from NCC, NIMC, Nigeria Immigration Service and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, ALTON.

It was also resolved furthermore that MNOs that already had Service Centres in important and critical locations in local government areas were expected to upgrade the centres to a level where they could qualify as SIM Swap Centres in order to reduce the challenges associated with the SIM Swap/Replacement process for the citizens.

The purpose is to bring SIM Swap Centres closer to Nigerians regardless of their location.

The minister also tasked the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, working with the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, and MNOs, to come up with a framework for the establishment of SIM Swap/Replacement Centres in each of the 774 local government areas in the country, beginning with critical and feasible locations.

The EVC of NCC, Prof Danbatta, briefed the meeting on the outcome of the Senate Investigative Hearing on 5G Deployment in Nigeria, which took place on February 25, 2021.

He extolled the minister for making an eloquent presentation to dispel fears about the public health and security implications of 5G, as well as making a case for the new technology in the country.

All stakeholders were said to have agreed on the need for the country to deploy 5G technology.

President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR was said to have been briefed on the activities of the Ministerial Task Force.

He was said to have strongly commended the achievement recorded so far and urged the minister and other stakeholders to maintain the tempo.

The minister also appreciated Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the federal government’s directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise, which has many benefits to the country and its citizens.

He assured of government’s commitment to continually take decisions aimed at easing the pains of the citizens with regard to issues related to NIN and SIM registration.

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Some network providers have, through text messages to subscribers, announced the decision.

One of the text announcing the decision reads: “Yello, as requested by your bank, from Oct 21, we will start charging you directly for USSD access to banking services. Please contact your bank for more info.”

“Yello, please, note that from Oct 21, we will charge N4 per 20 seconds for USSD access to banking services.  Thank you,” another one reads.

The planned increase in charges is against the original one where customers are charged per session.

Different amount are charged with the highest being N20 per session, depending on the network used.

But in its reaction to the development, the Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, in a statement issued by Uwa Suleiman, spokesperson of the ministry reads:  “The attention of the federal ministry of communications has been drawn to the viral text message allegedly sent by the Mobile Network Operator MTN Nigeria and other Mobile Operators notifying subscribers of a four naira (N4:00) charge per 20 seconds on USSD access to banking services from the 21st of October 2019.

“The office of the Honourable Minister of Communications Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FllM is unaware of this development and has hereby directed the sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ensures the operator suspends such plans until the Honourable Minister is fully and properly briefed.”

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