More than 51million Nigerians have been enrolled for the National Identity Number (NIN).

This was disclosed on Thursday by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, during the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team at the presidential villa, Abuja.

He said registration for NIN is not optional but a mandate by law, warning failure to enroll precludes defaulting citizens and residents from operating certain functions like using banks and communication services.

He also warned failure to obtain the NIN could lead to between seven or 14 years imprisonment as stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution.

He said rather than population census that can be manipulated, NIN will determine the accurate number of Nigerians because of its uniqueness and tamper-proof.

He also disclosed about 189 million Subscriber Identification Module (SIMs) have been registered in the country, explaining 150 million, out of this number, are completed registration while the remainder have problems of improper registration.

He said the improper registration has posed a challenge that government is currently dealing with.