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SIM playing cards. Supply: Forbes
The Nationwide Id Administration Fee and the Nigerian Communications Fee have introduced a strategic collaboration to reinforce the Nationwide Identification Quantity-SIM linkage processes.
This was disclosed on Sunday in a joint assertion signed by the Technical Adviser, Media, and Communications to the DG/CEO of NIMC, Ayodele Babalola, and the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Reuben Muoka.
The NIN-SIM linkage train has just lately turn into the topic of nationwide discourse, reflecting the crucial significance of aligning SIM registrations with people’ distinctive NINs.
Recognising the importance of this initiative in enhancing safety and bettering service supply, each commissions mentioned they had been dedicated to bettering processes and enhancing effectivity.
Moreover, the companies within the partnership prioritise the pursuits of Nigerians and promote nationwide improvement.
“By pooling our assets and experience, we goal to beat the challenges related to the NIN-SIM linkage train and guarantee its continued profitable implementation,” the companies acknowledged.
Underneath this collaboration, NIMC and NCC deal with the next key areas: streamlining the NIN-SIM linkage course of; capability constructing and public consciousness; knowledge verification and validation; coverage harmonisation, and the regulatory framework.
The assertion learn partially, “NIMC and NCC will collaborate to make sure a seamless expertise for Nigerian telecommunication subscribers. This contains exploring progressive approaches to facilitate the swift verification and authentication of NINs throughout SIM registration and activation processes.
“Each companies will collaborate on initiatives geared toward enhancing public consciousness and understanding of the NIN-SIM linkage necessities. This contains instructional campaigns, coaching classes for stakeholders, and the dissemination of correct data to the general public to encourage compliance with the linkage directives.
“NIMC will proceed to increase its assist to NCC by offering help in verifying Nationwide Identification Numbers (NINs) related to SIM registrations. Leveraging NIMC’s sturdy database and authentication infrastructure, telecommunication operators will validate submitted NINs whereas guaranteeing the accuracy and integrity of subscriber knowledge.
“NIMC and NCC will collaborate on aligning insurance policies and regulatory frameworks to facilitate the seamless integration of NIN-SIM linkage processes inside the telecommunications ecosystem. This contains harmonising knowledge safety and privateness rules to safeguard the confidentiality and safety of subscriber data.”
The NCC had barred an estimated 40 million phone strains not linked to NIN following the expiration of the February 28, 2024, deadline.
In a December 2023 discover, the regulator had requested telcos to bar SIMs that had not been linked to their homeowners’ NINs by February 28, 2024.
MTN Nigeria reported that over 4.2m strains had been disconnected from its community after the February 28 deadline given by the NCC.
The NCC had acquired a number of backlashes for barring phone strains not linked to NIN from completely different societal teams.
Final week, the Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Mission threatened to pull the NCC to court docket if it did not reverse its directive to telcos to bar phone strains.
The group, which made the menace in an open letter to the Chief Govt Officer of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, known as for extra session and the supply of an efficient course of for Nigerians who’re but to hyperlink their SIM playing cards to their NINs to do so.
