The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to remove the N20 USSD fee imposed on subscribers for National Identification Number (NIN) retrieval requests.

This directive came following the outrage across the country from subscribers who were charged N20 by their network providers in order to retrieve their NIN.

A statement signed by the spokesperson of the minister, Mrs Uwa Suleiman, said the minister’s directive which takes immediate effect, is an intervention aimed at making the process easier and affordable.

The minister appreciated the efforts of all stakeholders and encouraged them to continue to sacrifice more for the national interest.