The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has cautioned Nigerians against indiscriminately giving out their SIM cards for linking with their National Identification Numbers (NIN) just as it also called on students in tertiary institutions across the country to help protect telecom equipment in their areas against vandalism.
Speaking at a one-day programme termed, “Telecom Campus Conversation”, with a theme: “Telecom Consumer Rights Awareness; the role of Students”, yesterday, NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau, Dr EfosaIdehen also called on the students to help protect telecom facilities in their areas against vandalism as he said a facility vandalised or restrained from functioning well could affect a chain of users negatively.
He said the campus conversation was to ensure effective communication to all stakeholders in the telecom chain.
He said: “The students and indeed everybody must guide jealously their SIMs, especially in this era of linking your SIM to your NIN, don’t give your SIM to anybody to help link your NIN to it, if that happens, that means you are liable for whatever thing that SIM that is linked to your NIN do in the cyberspace.
“We also want the students to help us look at the issue of infrastructure. We are coming to the students because we know that they are probably more around everywhere and be able to talk on this issue on our behalf because there are vandalism of equipment or cutting down of telecom infrastructure that affect everybody but a student who knows will be able to advise people who are in their vicinity to say no you can’t do that because it can affect everybody and sometimes it can affect people who are even far away from you so we are asking students to be our ambassadors.”
In her welcome address, Assistant Director, CAB,Mrs MosturaAruna, said the programme was one of the various consumer-centred initiatives of the commission targeted at creating awareness for students of tertiary institutions on their rights and obligations as telecom consumers as well as sensitising them on several initiatives put in place for the purpose of Consumer Protection and Empowerment.
Meanwhile, the government has again extended the deadline for the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data linkage.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), IkechukwuAdinde; and Head of Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), KayodeAdegoke, last Saturday.
It would be recalled that the deadline for the linkage was earlier set to elapse, yesterday, but the government has moved it further by two months.
“The decision to extend the deadline was made further to appeals by the Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders, soliciting for a further extension to ensure better compliance with government’s directive and to avoid widening the digital divide.
“The extension would also provide the enabling environment for the registration of Nigerians in remote areas, Diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, as well as foreigners, diplomatic missions, those in other areas that were hitherto unreachable, and increase enrolments in countries with a significant number of Nigerians.
“The review of the progress of the exercise indicated that over 66million unique National Identity Numbers (NIN) have been issued- an indication of progress achieved in the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage.
“However, a significant part of the populace is yet to be registered into the National Identity Database (NIDB), which may be due to some challenges which the Federal Government has looked into and has made efforts to alleviate, hence the need to extend the deadline.
“As of October 30, 2021, there were over 9,500 enrolment systems and over 8,000 NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country – this has significantly eased the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.
“The NIN-SIM verification process is supporting the government’s drive to develop Nigeria’s digital economy, strengthen our ability to protect our cyberspace and support the security agencies.
“The administration of President MuhammaduBuhari, has graciously approved the extension to accommodate the yearnings of the populace and make it easier for its citizens within and outside the country, and legal residents to obtain the NIN and link it with their SIM.
“The Federal Government will ensure that all innocent, law abiding citizens and residents will not lose access to their phone lines as long as they obtain and link their NIN.
“Government will also continue to provide an enabling environment for investors in the telecommunications sector.
“The unique 66million NIN enrolments, with an average of three to four SIMs linked to the NIN, is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to ensure the success of the project.
“With the creation of additional NIN enrolment centres within and outside the country, and many more coming up, the remaining citizens and legal residents living in the country and the Diaspora should be able to obtain their NINs and link them with their SIMs before the end of the year,” the statement reads in full.