About 161.5 million mobile telephone lines may be blocked by December 30, 2020, if the Federal Government fails to extend the two-week deadline given to telecommunications operators to get the National Identity Numbers (NINs) of their subscribers, findings by Daily Trust have shown.

MTN, GLO, Airtel, 9Mobile and other smaller telecom companies in the country were handed a stern order on Tuesday by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to compulsorily demand for the NINs of their customers within two weeks.

Pantami gave the order at a meeting with CEOs of the agencies under the ministry after a meeting he had with them on Monday, a statement from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said.

But Daily Trust report shows that more than 160m Nigerians in the urban and rural areas may not beat the two weeks deadline due to the slow nature of national identity registration.

Nigeria’s teledensity rose by 2.2 per cent from 104.4 per cent to 106.6 per cent in October, increasing the number of telecom subscribers to 203.5 million, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area. It varies across nations, and between urban and rural areas within a country.

However, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) was only able to register paltry 42m Nigerians in 10 years the enrollment exercise started.