Ololade Adeyanju/
The Federal Government has announced plans to make it mandatory for anyone willing to register a new sim card to provide his national identity number.
The decision was announced today by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, at the third annual lecture of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, in Lagos, today.
Dambatta who was represented by the Commission’s head of online media, Omoniyi Ibietan, said the move was part of NCC’s “constant regulatory intervention in support of the anti-corruption and security agenda of the Federal Government”.
“So, you must obtain your national identity number, if you want to obtain a new sim card,” he noted.
Further highlighting some of the Commission’s contributions to the nation’s economic development, Dambatta said under NCC’s watch, the number of mobile lines in Nigeria had risen to 175 million, while the number of internet users stood at 122.6 million.
Beside that, he said NCC has also been making major contribution to the national economy, adding that the Information and Communication Technology sector currently contributes 13.88 percent to the nation’s GDP.
He stated: “As you may be aware, the Nigerian telecoms industry, in the past 18 years, has recorded tremendous growth. Today, the number of active telephone lines in the country is about 175 million, representing a teledensity of 91.65 per cent. Today, the number of Internet users is 122.6 million while broadband penetration currently stands at 35 percent. The cumulative investment profile in the sector is over $70 billion.
“At 11.39 percent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the telecom subsector remains a major actor in the national economy. Indeed, as at the second quarter of 2019, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector’s contribution to the GDP was 13.88 per cent. Today, the positive impacts of telecoms sector – either voice or data resonate in other sectors of the economy and in all the aspects of our daily interactions.
“With respect to SIM Registration and its connection with national security, I will like to remind us that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) established under the NIMC 2007 Act has released the National Identification Number Regulations 2017. That regulation provides that a person must provide his/her National Identity Number (NIN) in order to register a telephone SIM card. Consequently, the NCC in collaboration with all stakeholders has set in motion mechanisms for compliance.
“It may interest you to know that the NCC engages in continuous verification exercise of the SIM data collected by the MNOs and their SIM registration agents across the country to deliver on its mandate. This is part of the Commission’s consistent regulatory interventions to ensure that we have credible subscriber data.
“I, therefore, would like to use this opportunity to encourage Nigerians – you and I – who want to acquire new SIM cards, for one reason or the other, to ensure that they obtain a National Identity Number first.”
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