FG lifts ban on new SIM registration
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By Prince Osuagwu & Emmanuel Elebeke
The Federal Government yesterday lifted the ban on new Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration, giving Nigerians who desire to get new lines a reprieve.
However, this time around, only those who have registered and obtained their National Identity Number (NIN), will be able to do so as the order for telecom operators to begin registering new numbers makes ownership of NIN mandatory.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami ,who issued the directive said the approval was in line with the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration.
Emma Okonji
The initial plan by telecoms operators (telcos) to suspend the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) to banks and other Financial Service Providers (FSP), over accumulated debt of N42 billion, has been put on hold.
The decision followed the directive of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, who asked the telecoms operators to wait until the outcome of todayâs meeting scheduled with the Governor of Central Bank (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to discuss the lingering issues.
The telcos had threatened to suspend the bankâs USSD services from today and advised bank customers to use alternative channels for their financial transactions.
FG stops telecom firms from withdrawing USSD services as minister intervenes nairametrics.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nairametrics.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Temiloluwa O’Peters
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has said the Information and Communications Technology sector recorded the highest growth rate among all the sectors of the Nigerian economy in both the fourth quarter of 2020 and the entire year 2020.
According to him, the Gross Domestic Product report has shown that the ICT sector is a catalyst for the diversification and growth of the economy.
Pantami said this was based on the Q4 2020 report on GDP released on Thursday by the National Bureau of Statistics.
According to the NBS, the GDP grew by 0.11 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2020, representing the first positive quarterly growth in the last three quarters.
National Identity Number is free, says FG
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The Federal Government says issuance of National Identification Number (NIN) was at no cost to Nigerians as the cost of the registration was being shouldered by the government.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said this following complains from some applicants who alleged that they were being asked to pay for the service.
The Technical Assistant on Information Technology to the minister, Dr Femi Adeluyi, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
“ The National Identity Number is completely free for all Nigerians and legal residents with Resident Permit from the Nigeria Immigration Service.