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NIMC, ALTON Discuss January 2019 NIN Deadline
Ahead of the January 1, 2019 deadline given by the Federal Government for the mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN), Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Aziz has held wide ranging consultations with the leadership of mobile network operators in the country under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) led by its Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo.
Engr. Aliyu Aziz said he considered the meeting with ALTON to be central in the implementation of the recently launched Digital Identity Ecosystem spearheaded by NIMC given the Association’s members’ customers – the mobile subscribers – who currently run into nearly 150 million.
ALTON is the umbrella body of all mobile operators in Nigeria, such as MTN Nigeria, Glo Mobile, Airtel, 9mobile and Ntel. As of September 2018, the telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that there were 143 million mobile phone subscriptions or active connected lines in Nigeria.
Against this background, Engr. Aziz explained: “The Digital Identity Ecosystem is a sustainable scheme where any of the data collecting Government agencies or licensed private agency can enrol and capture data from citizens and legal residents and send to the NIMC backend.”
Speaking further on the meeting with ALTON, he said the MNOs in Nigeria “are already undertaking data capture subscribers’ information including biometrics for any SIM to be active. This information is sent to a central database managed by NCC.
“The NCC being a stakeholder in the identity ecosystem is required by the NIMC Act and Regulation, to ensure the use of the NIN for access to services including SIM utilisation. Of course, NCC is a key partner in the Identity Harmonisation process, and was one of the earliest government agencies to handover to NIMC data available to it from SM registration for warehousing by NIMC in the National Identity Database,” Engr. Aziz affirmed.
Therefore, the meeting with ALTON was not only much desired and important; it was a natural way to also prepare the mobile operators, who are critical stakeholders, towards the January 1, 2019 deadline for the mandatory use of the NIN, Engr. Aziz stated.
The NIMC D-G also used the opportunity to explain the effect and implication of the ‘mandatory use of NIN’ in the Federal Government’s directive.
“Some people have the wrong impression that by January 1, 2019, by mandatory use of the NIN means everyone in Nigeria must have the NIN. This is not correct. Rather, what it means is that to access any services as specified under Section 27 (1) of the NIMC Act 2007, a person must have the NIN; where one does not have it, any government agency or private sector operator to be licensed by NIMC offering such services that fall under the mandatory use of the NIN, must immediately enrol the person and generate the NIN under the Digital Identity Ecosystem I explained earlier,” he stated.
Section 27 – (1) of the NIMC Act 2007 states: “As from the date specified in that regard in regulation made by the Commission, the National Identity Number issued to a registered individual must be presented for the following transactions, that is:
- a) application for, and issuance of a passport
- b) opening of individual and/or personal bank accounts
- c) purchase of insurance policies
- d) subject to the provisions of the Land Use Act, the purchase, transfer and registration of land by any individual or any transaction connected therewith
- e) such transactions pertaining to individuals as may be prescribed and regulated by the Pension Reform Act, 2004
- f) such transactions specified under the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme
- g) such transactions that have social security implications
- h) all consumer credit transactions
- i) Registration of voters
- j) Payment of taxes;
And, Section 27 (2) of the Act states: “Any authority or organisation to which a person applies to carry out any transaction listed under sub section (1) of this section shall request such person to produce his Multipurpose Identity Card or National Identification Number.”
ALTON Chairman, Engr. Adebayo had earlier chronicled the fears of the Association and its members against the backdrop of inadequate enrolment centres across the country pursuant to the issuance of NIN.
However, he pointed out the importance of the national identity system when he stated: “A credible national identity database enables effective planning, increases financial inclusion by easing access to financial services, enhances the electoral process and helps improve national security.”
He pointed out however, that “the absence of a harmonised, credible and pervasive national identity system in Nigeria has resulted in a plethora of identity databases such as the drivers register maintained by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the voters register (managed by INEC), and the SIM by NCC.”
Stressing ALTON’s concerns, Engr. Adebayo requested concession for its members, saying: “ALTON thus recommends that telecommunications being a social overhead capital that enables every other economic activity in Nigeria, be granted a concessionary waiver of the implementation of the mandatory use of NIN until agreed NIN and enrolment centre availability milestones are reached.”
But Engr. Aziz explained that with the Ecosystem approach, the fields of enrolment now encompass just NIMC alone.
“All the implementing partners in the Ecosystem, that is all data collecting agencies of government as well as private sector operators to be registered, will undertake enrolment and send the information to NIMC backend for generation of NIN as well as keeping of the data in the national database by NIMC,” he clarified.
Engr. Aziz listed some of the Federal Government agencies under the identity harmonisation implementation scheme to include the National Population Commission, the NCC, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Galaxy Backbone, Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, Joint Admissions & Matriculations Board, National Health Insurance Scheme and National Pension Commission, among others.
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) have agreed to a new strategic partnership aimed at driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce readiness.
Led by its National President and Chairman of the Organized Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), Engr. Jani Ibrahim, a high-level NACCIMA delegation visited the TETFund headquarters in Abuja today.
The team was received by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono, during what both parties described as a milestone engagement.
Discussions during the meeting focused on collaborative initiatives including entrepreneurship development, support for the green economy, commercialization of academic research, industry–academia synergy, and skills development to better equip graduates for the evolving demands of the labour market.
A key outcome of the meeting was the mutual agreement to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and establish a NACCIMA–TETFund Joint Technical Committee that will oversee the implementation of agreed initiatives.
Both sides also expressed commitment to developing additional partnership frameworks that will bolster Nigeria’s competitiveness and economic resilience.
Also present at the engagement, Prof. Umar Bindir lauded the collaboration, highlighting the need for structured, long-term partnerships between academia and the private sector to generate practical solutions to Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
Arc. Echono, in his remarks, praised NACCIMA’s leadership in promoting enterprise and innovation, and reaffirmed TETFund’s readiness to work closely with the Organized Private Sector to foster research, innovation, and economic transformation.
This collaboration positions NACCIMA as a key driver of national development, helping to bridge the gap between education, enterprise, and policymaking, while empowering young Nigerians and strengthening the foundation of the country’s knowledge economy.
PalmPay, a digital banking platform, in partnership with Nigeria’s telecom giant, Glo, is celebrating winners in the ongoing PalmPay & Glo Recharge. The exciting campaign, which kicked off on June 19, 2025, will run until August 23, 2025, rewarding loyal customers with fantastic prizes and exclusive bonuses.
Since the promo commenced, users have won prizes ranging from Oraimo Earbuds to Infinix Hot 40i.
The ongoing weekly campaign has recorded 20 winners, which include:
- Michael Emmanuel from Lagos emerged as the winner of an Infinix Hot 40i
- Perpetual Amos, winner of an Infinix Hot 40i
- Semiu Adekunle Abegunde, winner of an Infinix Hot 40i
- Josiah Oluwasegun Adewale, winner of an Oraimo Earbuds
Michael Emmanuel from Lagos recounted his experience as the lucky winner of the Infinix Hot 401 as he couldn’t hide his excitement. He noted, “I am so excited! I didn’t even expect it. I received a call while I was sleeping, informing me that I’d won, and I went live immediately to confirm it was real. I’ve been using PalmPay for about two years now, and winning this is such a great feeling. I’ll keep using PalmPay, and I encourage everyone to recharge their Glo line on the app; you could win too.”
The campaign, which is in its last week, has winners revealed every Friday during a live raffle draw streamed across PalmPay’s social media channels. The campaign gives customers the chance to get amazing prizes, including an iPhone 15 Pro, an Infinix Hot 40, and many other exciting rewards. Users also enjoy up to 6% cashback when purchasing Glo airtime or data via the PalmPay app.
New Glo data subscribers who have not signed up for a plan in the past 90 days will also receive a 100% bonus on their recharge during the promo period.
How to participate:
- Download the PalmPay app.
- Link your Glo number in the app.
- Purchase airtime or data via PalmPay; every transaction increases your chances of winning.
- Join the live draw
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has said that the telecommunications sector in Nigeria is once again on a strong growth trajectory.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, ALTON
Engr. Adebayo stated this over the weekend on the side-lines of the unveiling of Nigeria’s first Digital Museum, an initiative that preserves and showcases the nation’s history and cultural heritage.
He commended IHS Towers for spearheading the project, describing it as another clear demonstration of the industry’s commitment to the Nigerian project. He noted that by investing in the preservation of Nigeria’s past while building the infrastructure of the future, IHS has set a remarkable example of corporate citizenship.
Speaking on the state of the telecoms sector, Engr. Adebayo said: “After addressing sustainability concerns earlier in the year, we are now witnessing significant new investments in the sector: the highest we have seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of ALTON are optimising networks, building new sites to meet rising capacity demands, upgrading existing infrastructure, and migrating more sites from old radio links to high-speed fibre connections.”
He further noted that Tower Companies (TowerCos) are enhancing security across telecom sites to mitigate against vandalism and theft. “Removable batteries and generators are now fitted with trackers to trace stolen items, and we strongly advise the public to desist from buying equipment suspected to have been stolen from telecom sites,” he cautioned.
Engr. Adebayo also highlighted ongoing capacity development within the sector: “We are training and retraining our workforce to adapt to emerging technologies. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has set strict service level requirements, and we are committed to not only meeting but surpassing them. Though network optimisation may occasionally cause service disruptions, we appeal to the public for understanding as these efforts will ultimately deliver a much-improved user experience nationwide.”
On industry governance, the ALTON Chairman expressed delight at the inauguration of the new Board of the NCC, chaired by Mr. Idris Olorunimbe.
“We are very excited about the appointment of Mr. Idris. His reputation as a man of excellence precedes him. Working with the competent and visionary Executive Management Team led by the Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, and the other Executive Commissioners, we are confident the sector is set on the right path to sustainability and growth. The new Board will strengthen the remarkable progress already achieved.”
Engr. Adebayo further welcomed the rebranding of Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS) from 9Mobile to T2, describing it as an important milestone for the industry.
“EMTS is a very important member of ALTON, and we are pleased to see their rebirth as T2. This rebranding enhances investor confidence and underscores the value of collaboration. It assures the public that there are good times ahead for our industry, and we are very excited about what the future holds,” he stated.
Turning to issues of Right of Way (RoW), Engr. Adebayo stressed that investments can only thrive in enabling environments:
“The digital train is moving very fast. States that create hostile conditions for telecom operations risk being left behind. We will not continue to solicit endlessly for cooperation. Where deployment is unwelcome, investments will move to more supportive neighbouring states, and citizens of unfriendly states will inevitably suffer limited connectivity. We urge all state actors to partner with us so that no one is left behind in this rapid transformation.”
On the issue of multiple taxation, Engr. Adebayo commended the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly the Presidential Tax and Fiscal Policy Reform Committee, for its ongoing reforms. Engr. Adebayo described the reforms as a pivotal step toward streamlining Nigeria’s tax system and eliminating the burden of multiple taxation. He highlighted the positive impact on small and medium-sized businesses, noting that the changes will promote entrepreneurship, attract investment, and foster a more business-friendly environment.
“We eagerly await the commencement of the implementation in January 2026. We are confident that the over 56 taxes and levies currently borne by our members across various jurisdictions will soon become a thing of the past.”
Engr. Adebayo concluded by appreciating all industry stakeholders and reaffirming ALTON’s commitment to the Nigeria project:
“The transformation we are witnessing in our sector has not been experienced in recent years. We thank the leadership of the NCC for their commitment, we congratulate and welcome the new Board under the leadership of Mr. Idris Olorunimbe, and we look forward to even greater milestones ahead.
The industry is on the march again, and together, with the support of the public in protecting our critical infrastructure, there is no stopping Nigeria’s telecommunications sector as a driver of national economic stability and growth.”
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