The Federal Government on Saturday ordered  immediate closure of the headquarters of the National Identity Management Commission in Abuja.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who gave the order, also directed the NIMC to open 20 locations in the Federal Capital Territory in order to halt the crowds that gather at the commission’s headquarters daily in a bid to get their National Identity Numbers.

NIMC spokesman, Kayode Adegoke, announced the closure of the commission’s headquarters in a statement issued in Abuja.

He said 20 centres were reactivated within the FCT to make the process of NIN enrolment much easier for applicants effective Monday, January 18, 2021.

The commission advised members of the public, residents and visitors to the FCT wishing to enroll for NIN to use any of the 20 NIMC centres.

The Federal Government had ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate the telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their Subscriber Identification Modules with valid NINs.

It gave subscribers with NINs till January 19 to link their NINs with their SIM cards, while subscribers without NINs have until February 9 to do so.

The centres in Abuja, as captured in the statement issued on Saturday, were outlined as 2nd Floor, Block C, No 4 Maputo Street, Zone 3, Wuse; Abaji Secretariat Complex, Legislative Section Abaji.

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Others include AMAC Secretariat Annex, Kabusa Junction Apo; Area Council Complex Bwari; CIPB Building (Old Secretariat), Gwagwalada; and Kwali Council Secretariat, Kwali.

It named others as Opposite Forest Pasali,Along Kuje/Gwagwalada Road; Beside Diamond Bank, Building Materials International Market; Dutse Alhaji; among others.