The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has successfully completed the linkage of all Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards to the National Identification Numbers (NINs), marking the conclusion of a major national initiative.
Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, made this announcement at the 2024 annual corporate governance conference held in Lagos on Thursday.
The linkage process, which began following a Federal Government directive in December 2020, mandated telecommunications companies to block SIM cards not registered or linked to NINs.
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The policy, designed to strengthen national security and curb fraudulent activities, initially met with challenges. The NCC set several deadlines, with the final one on September 14, 2024.
During the conference, Maida acknowledged the difficulties encountered by Nigerians throughout the process, but he emphasized the importance of the initiative in improving accountability across the country.
“We have recently concluded the implementation of the federal government’s 2020 policy of linking every phone number to a NIN,” Maida said. “Though it was a bit painful for Nigerians, I think we also need to appreciate what that does for us.”
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He further explained that the completion of this initiative means that every phone number in Nigeria is now associated with a verified NIN, providing a crucial tool for enhancing security.
“Today, there is no phone number that we cannot associate with a verified NIN. If this phone number is involved in fraud or any crime, I can now authoritatively say, based on the NIN linked to it, this is the person who is using that phone number,” Maida stated.
This policy, while initially burdensome for many Nigerians, is seen as a key step toward greater transparency and security in telecommunications.
It is also expected to aid law enforcement in tracking criminal activities, providing a reliable system for identifying users involved in fraudulent schemes or other illegal operations.