The Federal Government says it has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26.
A statement signed jointly by spokespersons of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigeria Identity Management Commission says at least 57.3 million Nigerians have enrolled for the NIN, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN, according to the agencies.
The agencies also noted that as of June 28, a total of 5,410 enrollment systems have been made available nationwide to significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk says that his Starlink venture was growing quickly as he forecast total investment costs in the satellite internet business at between $20bn and $30bn.
He says Starlink has two quite significant partnerships with major country telcos that could help the SpaceX division plug the gaps in fifth-generation mobile and cellular networks.
The Tesla Inc CEO and founder of SpaceX, a rocket ship venture that seeks to colonise Mars, says investment costs before Starlink achieves fully positive cash flow would be $5bn to $10bn.

The prime minister’s office says Somalia’s political leaders have agreed to hold a long-delayed presidential election on October 10, following months of deadlock that turned violent at times.
The office of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble unveiled the timetable for indirect parliamentary and presidential elections in a statement on Twitter, saying stakeholders had agreed to a roadmap for a vote following two days of talks in the capital Mogadishu.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and the leaders of Somalia’s five states had been unable to agree on the terms of a vote before his term lapsed in February, triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis.

Health authorities in Uganda have approved a locally manufactured herbal medicine to treat Covid-19 patients and other viral infections.
The country’s drug regulator, the National Drug Authority says the product is formulated from herbal plants that have been traditionally used to alleviate symptoms of several diseases.
It is however not a cure for Covid-19.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology, where the developer Prof Patrick Ogwang teaches, also claimed the product as its own and said it had been leaked to the market before going through the right procedure.
The NDA says the approval was based on initial assessment, published literature, and safety studies and that its innovator had also withdrawn unsubstantiated claims that the product treats and prevents Covid-19.

The United States says Ethiopia's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire in the Tigray region could be a positive step if it results in moves to end the conflict.
The State Department urged all parties to allow humanitarian access and speed up the delivery of food assistance.
United Nations officials say the rebels entered the town of Shire on Tuesday, after seizing the regional capital Mekelle the day before.
The United States also called for the immediate, verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who've been supporting Ethiopian federal forces.
The Tigrayans have said they will not stop fighting until they have degraded the capabilities of their enemies.

The Niger State House of Assembly has passed a bill imposing capital punishment on kidnappers, bandits, and their informants.
The bill, if assented to by the Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, will check the increasing wave of kidnapping and banditry in the state and strengthen the fight against criminalities by the state government.
The bill states that anyone found guilty of the offence of banditry, kidnapping, or giving out information that results in kidnapping and banditry will be sentenced to death by hanging in public.
The bill amends the Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling (Special Provision) Law 2021.
The recommendation was made by the House Committees on Security and Intelligence and Judicial Matters when it presented its report to the House.
The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Bello Ahmad, representing Agwara Constituency, said informants were included in the bill because the information given to criminals contribute to the increasing spate of banditry and kidnapping in the state.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Justice Binta Nyako gave the order while granting the application by the prosecution who had applied to remand Kanu.
The court ordered that Kanu be remanded in the DSS facility and adjourned his matter to July 26 and 27.
Mr Kanu’s re-arraignment comes after he was re-arrested by Nigerian authorities and brought back to the country. He is expected to face charges of treason in court.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari explained why the national oil company is purchasing a stake in the Dangote oil refinery.
The refinery is expected to begin production in 2022 with an installed 650,000 barrels per day capacity. It has been touted as a groundbreaking project for energy security in the country and for the African continent.
He argued that the decision was also driven by the profit potential of the refinery business. He says the net effect is that Nigeria will become the hub of petroleum products and supplies.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio says he wants to set up an international task force to counter the threat posed by the spread of ISIL affiliated groups across the African continent.
Di Maio says there are fears that the group can regain strength. He also warned against the alliance letting down its guard, despite the fact the ISIL fighters had lost much of their territories in Iraq and Syria.
Di Maio told reporters that with the support of the USA and many other partners, he proposed the establishment of an Africa task force to identify and stop ISIL related terrorist threats on the continent.

The European Commission says it had adopted decisions allowing Europeans’ data to keep flowing to Britain, satisfied that protections had so far not been affected by Brexit.
The commission vice president in charge of transparency, Vera Jourova, says London’s legal regime of protecting personal data is as it was.
She says they have significant safeguards and if anything changes on the UK side, they will intervene.
The decisions will notably ensure that British-based companies reliant on EU citizens’ data can continue to operate.
A post-Brexit transition period leaving rules on data flows unchanged was to run out at the end of June.