A sigh of relief was given to many Nigerians when Justice Maureen Onyetenu of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, while considering the fundamental right suit by the former NBA Ikeja Chairman, Monday Ubani, against the Federal government, ruled that the deadline for National Identity Number, NIN, be extended by two months.
Ubani had pleaded the court, “a declaration that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cases in Nigeria presently, the deadline given by the 1st, 3rd and 4th Respondents to the Applicant and over 200 million Nigerians to register their SIM Cards with NIN, will lead to a rush, thereby resulting to clustering of the Applicant and other Nigerian citizens in a NIN registration centre, subjecting him to the possibility of easily contracting the covid-19 virus, and such will amount to a violation of his fundamental right to life as protected by section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).