The Federal Government of Nigeria as part of its efforts to
improve security in Nigeria has made it mandatory for all National
Identification Numbers (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC) to be linked to each person’s mobile phone(s). This is to
ensure that each Nigerian can be tracked with the mobile phone line that they
use. In recent years, terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, online fraudsters and
other criminal elements have been hiding under anonymity and lack of effective
enforcement of mobile SIM registration to carry out different crimes.
How to Retrieve Your NIN Number
If you have registered your SIM cards, applied for your
Nigerian passport, vehicle number plate or drivers’ license or already have a Bank Verification Number (BVN) in the recent past,
there is a high chance that you already have a National Identity Number (NIN).
To check and access your NIN, follow these steps:
1.
Dial *346# on your mobile phone.
2.
Press 1 to retrieve your NIN from the USSD menu
3.
Your 11-digit NIN should appear as a USSD
message.
4.
Write it down somewhere safe
Note: This service is now free as the Minister of Communications
and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami has ordered the NIMC to stop charging N20
for it.
For some people, they might be told, they do not have a NIN.
It is better to check with all the mobile phones that you own. I found it
available on my Airtel line but not on my MTN. Since, one NIN applies to you
regardless of the telecom network you want to link to, it is much better to
confirm that you truly do not have it by checking *346# on all your mobile
lines.
If truly you do not have it, try visiting any of the NIMC
offices closest or convenient for you to get registered.
Now, after identifying your NIN, you need to link it to your
mobile phone network to prevent it from being barred. Let us look at how each
network does it:
How to Link Your NIN to an MTN Number
1.
Dial *785# using the phone
number you wish to link.
2.
Enter your NIN and submit
Alternatively
Dial *785*Your NIN# from the phone
number you wish to link. You can also download the MTN App on your
mobile phone http://bit.ly/myMTNapp and
submit your NIN there.
How to Link Your NIN to an Airtel Number
1.
Dial *121*1#
2.
Submit your 11 digit pin
Alternatively
1. Dial *121#
2. Press 1 for NIN Capture
3. Enter your NIN and submit
How to Link Your NIN to a Glo Number
1.
Get your mobile phone with the Glo SIM
2.
Text: UpdateNIN NIN FirstName LastName to 109
For example: UPDATENIN 12345678903 Chidera Abdul-Ola
3.
Get confirmation of your submission
How to Link Your NIN to a 9Mobile Number
1.
Dial *200*8#
2.
Follow the prompt and respond accordingly to
submit your NIN
Alternatively
Visit http://9mobile.com.ng/nin to register
There you have it folks, let me know what your experience
linking all 4 networks has been like by dropping a comment.
