The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that telephone subscribers in Nigeria are now 208 million.
NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta, stated this in Abuja during a media briefing.
He said the nation’s broadband penetration also peaked at 45. 07 percent as at November 2020.
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He spoke during a load down of new developments in the telecommunications industry to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr. Festus Daudu.
The Nigerian Communications Commission says telecom operators received 47.8 million National Identification Number (NINs) from subscribers as at January 18.
This is contained in a statement by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC Director, Public Affairs on Tuesday in Lagos.
Mr. Adinde quoted the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as saying that the figure showed that many Nigerian subscribers would be linked to their NINs before the February 9 deadline.
The government’s drive to connect phone users to national identity numbers, a process requiring physical appearance at registration centres amidst COVID-19, has faced criticisms.
The government has pushed on nonetheless and has threatened to disconnect subscribers who fail to link up by early February.
Mr. Pantami said the collection of NIN was at an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber.
He expressed the federal government’s appreciation for the commitment shown by citizens and urged them to submit their NINs before the deadline.
Mr. Pantami called on the technical team to fast-track the processes so that the project would be delivered soonest.
‘The Technical Implementation Committee, under the Ministerial Task Force reported significant progress in the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage,’ he said.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
