All active SIM cards in Nigeria now linked to digital ID, regulator claims

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has declared that there is no active SIM card in Nigeria at the moment which cannot be traced to a National Identification Number (NIN).

The Executive Vice Chairman of the body, Aminu Maida, made the assertion during a corporate event held in Lagos recently. This comes as good news for the country that has struggled to enforce the measure since 2020.

At the end of August, the NCC gave what it termed then a “final deadline” fixed for September 14, 2024, for Nigerians who had not complied with the federal government directive to do so.

The SIM-NIN linkage activity was launched in December 2020 with the government saying it was a move intended to strengthen national security by combatting crime perpetrated using mobile telecoms services.

After many deadline extensions and controversy which the process sparked over the last four years, the NCC now asserts that the process has been successfully completed.

Maida said despite the fact that the process was “a bit painful” for Nigerians, the completion of the exercise comes with a number of benefits.

“Today, there is no phone number that we cannot associate with a verified NIN. Not juts a number, but a number that has been verified,” said Maida as quoted by The Guardian Nigeria.

The official mentioned that because of the complete linkage of SIM cards with NINs, criminal activities will now easily be tracked.

In the past, the SIM-NIN linkage drive has been criticized for not helping enough in curbing crimes such as kidnappings which have continued to thrive especially along Nigeria’s major highways, as well as Boko Haram insurgency in the Northern part of the country.

The Guardian also quotes the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigerian (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, as saying the completion of the SIM-NIN linkage exercise will be vital for checking criminality.

Nigerian authorities have also praised the SIM-NIN linkage activity as one of the major boosters of the country’s rapid digital ID issuance program which has now enabled more than 110 million Nigerians to possess a NIN.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  National Identity Number (NIN)  |  national security  |  Nigeria  |  SIM card registration