In case you are coming across this information for the first, Your NIN is your National Identity Number. The only way to get your NIN is to enrol for National ID Card, our National ID Card has number written on it the numbers are your National Identity Number.
The number has become very important not only for official purposes but also for national security as well. The Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is the government agency in charge of issuing and managing everything about the National ID Card.
Towards the end of the year 2020, the agency made a public pronouncement that every SIM Card owner in Nigeria should link their SIM Card with their National Identity Number (NIN) and two weeks was given as the deadline for all Nigerians to comply. This sudden and unprepared change of policy seems unpleasant to most Nigerians however, there was a drastic increase of the number of Nigerians going to NIMC offices in Local Government council secretariats to enrol for the NIN so that their SIM Cards can be linked to it.
Meanwhile, the massive rush for NIN registration reflected the actual population of Nigerians that have not obtained the NIN. While some probably did it in the past but lost their details, some have error issues with their previous enrollment, while some are just coming to the NIMC office for the first time.
However, to ease the rush and stress on Nigerians and the telecommunication Networks, the national Assembly requested that the deadline issued by the NIMC should be extended to 28 February 2021.
Nevertheless, the approval of the request is not yet clear, however, it seems you still have time to enrol for your NIN now and link with your SIM Cards before it gets late. For those that have already gotten their NIN, this post will guide you on how to link it with all your SIM Cards. In other words, this post will provide the guide on how to link any SIM Card you are using to your NIN irrespective of the network.
Remember that failure to link your SIM Cards with your NIN could lead to blocking of your SIM Cards according to NIMC directives.
HOW TO LINK YOUR SIM CARDS WITH YOUR NIN
MTN SIM Cards
If you are using any MTN SIM Card linking it to your NIN should not be a problem all you need is insert the SIM Card in your phone and dial *785# you will see a prompt notification asking you to put the number you are linking, type your SIM Card number and submit it, that is all.
Alternatively, you can dial *785* Your NIN# using the SIM Card you are linking. For instance, if your MTN number is 08031234567 and assuming your NIN is 1234567891. Insert that number SIM Card (08031234567) in your phone and dial *785*1234567891# then send it. You will receive a response immediately. However, the response will tell you that your submission has been received and awaiting NIMC review.
If you have an internet connection and simply want to do everything online, visit https://mtnonline.com/nim/ and fill-up the form for NIN linking and submit it there, your SIM Card will be linked automatically.
AIRTEL SIM Cards
Though you may not be able to link your Airtel SIM Card with your NIN online, you can simply do it by dialling the general service code of Airtel Network.
To link your NIN with your Airtel SIM Card, dial *121# and send. From the list of options that will show next, ‘NIN Capture’ is the number one. Type ‘1’ on the space provided for it just below the list of options and send.
Then enter the 11 NIN digits in the next prompt and send, afterwards, wait for a confirmation message.
9MOBILE (ETISALAT) SIM Cards
Just like other telecommunication networks, 9Mobile users can have created a platform that can make their customers link their line with their NIN. If you are a 9Mobile subscriber just visit http://www.9mobile.com.ng/nin to link your line with your NIN.
GLO SIM Cards
If you are using any Glo number you can link it with your NIN by simply sending a text message or visiting any Glo office for the NIN SIM Card linking.
For the text message option, text “UPDATENIN NIN First Name Last Name” and send to 109. This means if your NIN is 12345678901, your name is John Paul. Simply text ‘UPDATENIN 12345678901 John Paul’ then send the message to 109.
Alternatively, you can visit any Glo Office within your area to link your NIN to the Glo SIM Card.
