NIN retrieval: Nigerian government orders cancellation of N20 USSD charges

The  Federal government of Nigeria has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to remove the N20 USSD fee imposed on subscribers for NIN retrieval requests.

This statement was issued by Mrs Uwa Suleiman, the spokesperson for the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami.

According to her, 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 Nigerian 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.

“Recall that the Federal Government had earlier directed that all National Identification Numbers be integrated with Subscriber Identification Modules for security purposes.

“The Minister appreciates the efforts of all stakeholders and encourages them to continue to sacrifice more for the sake of national interest,” the statement added.

Suzan O