The Nigerian Communication Commission, (NCC) uncovered 9.4 million unregistered and improper registered sim cards during an audit exercise, NewsSpecng learnt.
The auditing was at the instance of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.
The minister who revealed this in his forward to the revised National Identity policy for SIM Card Registration said at the auditing the huge number was detected.
He described the exercise as very important to the country’s security and wellbeing.
He stated, “The issue of unregistered and improperly registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards had lingered, compromising national security and negatively affecting the efficiency of Nigerian security agencies. Upon my assumption of office as the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and as part of the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, in promoting security, I directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to conduct an audit exercise on SIM card registration in the country.
“Furthermore, I directed NCC to carry out an audit exercise to discover the unregistered and improperly registered SIMs, It was discovered that there were 9.4 million improperly registered SIM cards. Considering the implication of such unregistered and improperly registered SIM cards on national security, I issued a directive for the updating of the registration of those SIM cards by 11:59 pm of the 25th September 2019.
“Subsequently, NCC resolved the lingering issues and ensured that only those properly registered were eventually reactivated. Mobile devices interestingly play an important role in the development of any digital economy and a digital economy is a catalyst for the growth of every sector of the economy. For example, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which is a component of the digital economy, contributed an unprecedented 17.83% to the Nigerian GDP in the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020).
“In order to ensure the growth of the mobile ecosystem, the need for a secure and safe environment on our mobile network cannot be overemphasized. The ability to determine the real identity of a mobile user is a prerequisite for having a secure mobile network. The identity of the mobile users can be determined when the registered credentials of the SIM card user are verified against the National Identity Database (NIDB), and this involves the use of the National Identity Number (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
“Furthermore, mandating the use of NIN for SIM card registration will accelerate the growth of the national identity database as the SIM card registration database is one of the largest databases holding the digital identity of Nigerians, including biometrics and other essential information on citizens. This will enable Nigeria to take giant strides towards improving national planning, overcoming security challenges, and boosting our GDP.
“National digital identity will accelerate economic planning and development. It will also promote digital inclusion, digital financial services, and other value-added services across the nation. It will also help Nigerian security agencies to improve their effectiveness in dealing with cybercrime, particularly in the area of digital forensics, crime tracking, and identification. This Policy lays a foundation using the NIN to support the development and security of the mobile ecosystem of Nigeria.”
