Let me begin by congratulating the Nigerian Economic Summit Group for acting very fast on our recommendations to the government. During a NES session which I coordinated with support from Jude Ayoka, ADERINOLA OLORUNTOYE and Segla Segla, along with dozens of our fellow citizens, we maintained that for e-Nigeria to happen, the citizen identification process must evolve fast. In the brief, it was emphatic: the government needs to depend on the private sector to do this job while it stays as a super-collator, making sure the ordinance is healthy: move the 2 weeks to 6 months for compliance.
Nigeria has responded: “The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others) in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN), the Commission has said in a statement.”
In our session, we maintained that instead of the government looking for money to fund NIMC, the identity agency, it can accomplish more via the private sector, even as it compensates the companies, via benefits, for assisting the government. It would not be hard for banks and telcos to be designated as conduits to help ramp up NIN (national ID number) adoption to 90% within three years.
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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others) in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN), the Commission has said in a statement.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) December 15, 2020
Nigeria needs to increase the two weeks to at least 6 months as it is too short. But engaging the banks and telcos as “super-agents for NIN registration” are paths we think the nation has to follow.
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Whose job is it to reconcile SIM registration with NIN: SIM owners, telcos or identity agency? We still struggle with communication in this country, ambiguity everywhere!
Those who registered with NIN, are they even aware? Or we are technically asking every phone user to go and confirm what he/she did?
Can we provide a portal where those with NIN can send in and get it matched with their SIM?
We seem to be a confused bunch in the land, always deriving pleasure in making people suffer unnecessarily.
Well said, dumb policies everywhere
This is a bad policy and a deliberate step to just suffer Nigerians for no just cause. I implore this government to suspend this policy if they don’t want to loose face in 2023. Buhari regime should just remember Trump, that his past bad policies culminate to his loss of election in USA, if this regime also wanted to have face in 2023 the government should stop this policy now.
Woking towards total control of human.,end time policy to control your life ,watch out and get ready .
Has Nigeria not always been a laughing stock in the eyes of more serious Nations? Why should anybody be surprised this time around, when we have only lived up to our trade and identity?
Yes! Partnering with banks is the solution but unfortunately, they put a square peg in a round by recruiting those who are not capable.
I registered for my NIMC at Guaranty Trust Bank with the instruction that I should go to the nearest LOcal Government to print the temporary card for use, till today I am unable to get it after I went there twice only to tell me I should reregitered another one.
The day I went back to registered I was told I need indigenisation certificate from local government or royal authority to do so making it 3rd time. It is annoying