There is no escaping the National Identity Number (NIN), as the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami has warned that it will soon be impossible to have a bank account without having a valid NIN.
Currently, mobile subscribers are rushing to link their phone numbers to their NIN or be cut off by their telecom service providers latest April 6.
According to the minister, that is the first step. The next step is that bank account owners will have to link their bank accounts to their NIN.
Speaking at a press briefing at the end of a facility tour of the ongoing NIN enrolment exercise at NIMC and other designated centres across the country, the minister said he had made a presentation to the National Economic Sustainability Committee and drawn the attention of CBN Governor to the fact that BVN needs to be replaced with NIN.
He said this is because the BVN is a bank policy, while NIN is established by law, noting that ‘‘the strength of the law wherever you go is not the same with a policy of one institution.’’
‘‘On the board of NIMC, CBN governor is a member, DG DSS is a member, Chairman of FIRS is a member, INEC Chairman, Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), National Population Commission and the Nigeria Immigration Service are all members of the board” he said, stressing that NIN is the primary database of the country.
