So I've been getting incessant messages prompting me to link my NIN, but I've been ignoring them. One morning I tried initiating a call and I was told my line has been barred from making calls and I've to visit their nearest office with a valid NIN to link it with so it can be unbarred.

Due to my busy schedule I couldn't find the time, neither was i willing to pay the exorbitant fee charged by the agents, but the fact my sim has been barred from making calls puts me at a huge disadvantage.

So I made up my mind one morning to try the code in one of their messages I've been ignoring. So I dialed *996# with my NIN at hand, it brought some options from which I selected 2 to submit to my NIN, after submitting and waiting a while hoping it works. I got a text from them requesting I submit my VNIN.

So I followed the instructions on how to get the VNIN and proceeded to dial *346*3*NIN*121097# and i got the VNIN in a few minutes.

I copied the 16 digits VNIN which is valid for a few days and proceeded to dial dial *996#, selected 2 "option to submit my NIN/VNIN" and selected 2 for VNIN, this time it brought up a dialog box where i could input my VNIN and hit send.

I got a message which confirms my submission and waited for them to verify. I woke up the next morning to a message confirming my NIN verification was successfully.

Proceeded to make a call and it connected uninterrupted.

To confirm your NIN status simply dial *996# and select 1 for check NIN status. You should get a message that says "your NIN is valid and has been verified".

Thumbs up to Airtel for providing such a seamless service for NIN linking and verification.

With the message which claims lines will be barred on 28th of February and the massive turnouts in government centers for NIN enrollment, I don't know who needs this, but I hope the mod pushes this so those who needs this can see and utilize it.

What of us wey get 2 fully registered sim cards working and werebought pre registered with someone else's nin

This one no dey work. You will have to go there physically to the NIN linkage centre to get it done properly ( biometrics and capturing) with their machine.