Contrary to claims in some quarters that the directive to citizens to link their national identification number to their SIM card does not give any benefit to the people, but to complicate matters further, the National Communications Commission (CNC) reported that the NIN-SIM connection will be useful for security officials to track down suspected criminals and may lead to their arrest.
The Director, the Public Affairs Department of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Reuben Muoka, was live on the Channels Television programme early today where he shed more light on the benefits Nigerians can receive by linking with NIN with SIM cards.
Mouka said the suggestion that if the NIN-SIM connection works then why the process is not being used to curb kidnapping and other crimes should not be a parameter to condemn the move.
He reiterated the fact that the NCC is not a security agency, but a regulatory authority for telecommunications in Nigeria, adding that once the NIN-SIM connection is completed, it will support the investigative process of security agencies in the country.
Mouka explained in more detail: “The police are dealing with the issue of providing information to monitor victims.”However, if the victim’s identity is not properly recorded, tracing becomes difficult.
“Nigerians should be aware that the use of the NIN-SIM connection has yielded successful results even though the process is still ongoing.”
When asked whether the connection can be done digitally without a physical visit to telecom operators, Mouka replied that Nigeria has not reached that level yet.
“We cannot do this at the moment due to NIN discrepancies or other identity issues.”
“Of course, this will be possible in the future, but at this early stage in the process, all of these issues need to be resolved. Later, this can be done digitally,” he explained.
Mouka noted that Nigerians should not perceive some of the innovations in the country’s telecommunications industry as difficulties for them.
“What we are doing is not different from what is observed in many parts of the world. These challenges have multiple dimensions and the state of digital development in Nigeria must be appreciated and will continue to improve.”
Mouka, however, disclosed that the NCC as a regulator will ensure that subscribers receive value for their money.
“Compliance with commitments and other issues that improve Quality of Service (QoS) is of utmost importance to the NCC and our eyes are open and trained to service providers that improve QoS.
“There are no operators who like outages because they don’t make money. Sometimes things like major fibre outages during construction or similar issues are beyond the service providers’ capabilities.”
