NIMC halts SIM registrations during transition to a new identity platform
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that NIN verification services have been fully restored nationwide following the migration to a new identity verification platform. This restoration comes after a period during which these services were disrupted, causing inconvenience to millions of subscribers who rely on these services for communication, business, and daily activities.
NIMC's migration to the new platform, being built and managed by the commission, has been accompanied by significant progress in specialized registration efforts. The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has successfully enrolled over 74% of inmates nationwide into the NIMC database as part of an ongoing exercise approved in January 2025. The aim is to integrate inmates into national development plans and enhance their security.
In addition, NIMC is partnering with institutions like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to boost overall NIN enrollment, targeting an 85% enrollment rate by December 2025. As of late April 2025, roughly 120 million Nigerians had been enrolled or were in the process of enrollment, reflecting the broad scope of the registration drive.
BlueSalt Financial Services, a Nigerian fintech company, has been tasked with migrating the telecom operators to the new NIMC platform. The disruption caused by the service suspension has threatened to delay digital inclusion and SIM compliance targets, but the long-term goal is to enhance the speed and accuracy of identity verification.
ALTON, which represents Nigeria's mobile operators, has advised subscribers to postpone all SIM-related transactions until further notice. The company has expressed sincere apologies for the disruption caused by the service suspension.
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NIMC is under pressure to complete the migration and restore service functionality quickly to meet its 95% national coverage target. The commission is confident that the migration will lead to a more efficient and effective identity verification system in the long term.
- BlueSalt Financial Services, a Nigerian fintech company, is responsible for migrating telecom operators to the new NIMC platform, aiming to enhance the speed and accuracy of identity verification in finance and general-news sectors.
- To boost overall NIN enrollment and meet an 85% enrollment rate by December 2025, NIMC is partnering with institutions like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and, with the addition of fintech progress, technology is playing a significant role in these registration efforts within the fintech industry.
