From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja and Chinenye Anuforo, Lagos
The Federal Government yesterday again extended the deadline for the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to December.
By this, the citizens and legal residents are expected to complete the process before the end of the year.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), who conveyed the approval of the extension in a statement obtained by Sunday Sun, said that the decision to extend the deadline was made because of appeals by the Mobile Network Operators and other industry stakeholders 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, the Diaspora, schools, hospitals, worship centres, foreigners, diplomatic missions, those in other areas that were hitherto unreachable, as well as increase in enrolments in countries with significant number of Nigerians.
According to him, the review of the progress of the exercise indicated that over 66 million unique National Identity Numbers have been issued – an indication of progress achieved in the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage.
However, a significant part of the populace, he said, 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.
In July, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had announced the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to October 31.
The agencies said that the decision was reached following series of requests from stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions in the Diaspora.
Then the extension sought to address low enrolments in schools, hospitals and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as indicated by enrolment statistics, reasons that are given again for the new extension.
However, before the new extension yesterday, the citizens were thrown into fear and confusion over the October 31 deadline.
And to avoid being caught off guard and risk having their phone lines rendered inactive, many Nigerians, especially those in the city centres, flooded the registration centres created by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to beat the October deadline.
However, those in the rural areas pleaded with the telecommunications operators for a further upward review of the deadline to December.
Mr Deolu Ogunbanjo, national president, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) told Sunday Sun that about 40 to 50 per cent compliance for the NIN-SIM linkage has been achieved for those who have mobile phones.
“It is still near half of the number. That is why we are pleaded with the government to extend the deadline to December 31.
“Beyond that, you don’t want to leave people in Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara and other places where there is an insecurity problem and they have shut down all their masts. But by the time it continues till December and they don’t open those stations it means they will be disenfranchised and we can’t afford that. So, we are pleading for extension in the meantime to accommodate such people.
“Beyond that, we are also advocating that they accommodate those people by doing two weeks shut down and two weeks on instead. You don’t just shut down totally because the economy of such states is suffering. But by the time it is two weeks shut down and two weeks on, those people can be accommodated for the NIN-SIM linkage,” he said.
Reacting to whether it is the government or the telcos that should be blamed for the inefficiency of the NIN-SIM verification in tracking criminals and fighting insecurity in the country, the ICT expert said: “Telecom operators cannot just track. It is the government that will instruct the telcos on what to do because there is a policy of confidentiality the moment you buy their SIM card and you are using their line. It is only when there is a case of criminality, then the security agencies and the government can now order the telcos to do what they want in terms of investigations.”
Also speaking in the same vein, a telecom engineer and former President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Titi Omo-Ettu, noted that shutting down telecom services in the North marks the compulsory NIN-SIM verification exercise a failure because the government gave the impression of SIM-NIN registration being a unitary solution to insecurity, banditry, kidnapping etc; when it should have been presented as a management tool for national planning and development.
“Telecom firms have nothing to do with how problems of society are planned for and solved. They are service providers and not managers of society”, he said, absolving telcos of any culpability in the raging insurgency.
Another ICT professional, Prof. Adesina Sodiya, president of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) stated that though the NIN-SIM verification is crucial to the process of curbing insecurity and criminalities, it is yet to meet its expectations.
He said: “The foundational thing we are supposed to do as a nation, for us to be able to solve our security challenges is to also ensure that we know ourselves in this country and to ensure that we can identify ourselves. That process, that goal of getting everybody to know that they must have a means of identification is actually very important and is a step in the right direction.”
Reacting to whether the exercise has to and extent helped in the fight against insecurity, the ICT expert said: “I am going to say no, because, yes we have the NIN-SIM link, but have we been able to solve our security challenges with that programme? Of course, not yet.
“In fact, it appears that that the policy is not even useful at all in addressing the problem of insecurity. Another issue is that most of the insurgents do not even reside fully in Nigeria. They come from other places and they move around. Some come from neighbouring countries and they mostly camp in the big forests and all. We need to find a way of knowing them because you cannot just approach somebody and ask them what their name is. Another thing is that the infrastructure that security agencies have in Nigeria is still not adequate for us to benefit from the use of this NIN-SIM verification. For example, if the police get hold of somebody, and they immediately want to check about that person to get the person’s information, how they do it. Do they have any facility that is readily available to enable them access the database of NIMC to obtain the suspect’s information? We have not gotten to that level yet. Until we get to that level where security agencies anywhere we can easily find information and get access to people’s data. And not just collect bribe and let them go.
“Any criminal held by any security agency, they should be able to find information about that person to give them opportunities to be able to monitor and track their activities subsequently.”
However, as at July 24 this year, there were over 5,500 enrolment systems within and outside Nigeria created to ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.
Those working at various enrollment centres told Sunday Sun that there has been a recent uptick in activities after weeks of lull as Nigerians love last minute rush; and are not galvanized to act unless there is a deadline to beat.
Agnes Agara, who works at an enrollment centre in Kubwa area of Abuja, said: “For about four weeks now, I can count how many people strolled in here to do the NIN-SIM linkage or enroll for NIN.
“But since Monday this week, many people have been coming. I think the government’s silence on further extension forced people to come and register. Nigerians love last minute rush.”
Paul Ogwu, who also works in an enrollment centre in Wuse, said that the suspense on the government’s next line of action has rattled Nigerians.
“Many have been coming for registration. It’s better late than sorry. You may think there would be an extension and there wouldn’t be. The Buhari administration can spring surprises anytime. You just can’t predict them. So, yes, there is an influx of people coming to enroll. Having your line deactivated is akin to life imprisonment and no one wants that”, he said.
But, Gift Adah, who operates in an enrollment centre at the Abuja Airport, disclosed that the rush has considerably reduced compared to earlier in the month when the queue was endless.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, who is driving the NIN-SIM linkage project insisted that it makes it easier for security agencies to carry out their statutory duties, adding that the relevant parastatals under the Ministry would continually support them as required.
According to the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, 180 million lines have successfully been linked with the NIN, while over 60 million lines were captured under unique (fresh) NIN enrollment as at early October.
Nigeria has four main mobile operators: MTN, 9mobile, Airtel, and Globacom with 189.3 million active phone lines according to NCC data.
It then means that over nine million phone lines are still not linked.
Again, as at January 2021, Nigeria registered approximately 104 million active Internet users, representing about half of the population. It is projected to grow to 51.59 per cent by next year.
Efforts by Sunday Sun to get the latest number of Nigerians enrolled for the NIN-SIM linkage and unique enrollment proved abortive as NCC and NIMC officials did not take their calls or respond to WhatsApp enquiries.
With insecurity ravaging some parts of northern Nigeria, a good number of Nigerians resident in these troubled areas face an uphill task of going for the NIN-SIM enrollment. Many of them are also languishing in overcrowded Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and their immediate concern is survival and wellness and not to link their SIM cards with their NIN.
The Federal Government said that it was in its effort to restore normalcy in the war-torn zones that it shutdown Internet services in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kaduna states to restrict criminals of communication needed to organize their attacks or demand for ransom to free their kidnapped victims.
Opinions are, however, divided as to the efficacy of this approach because there are reports that terrorists and bandits still manage to contact kidnapped victims’ families for ransom on phone, despite operating in a state with supposedly deactivated telecom services.
While the Telcos insist they have always complied with government’s directives, especially in deactivating phone lines in troubled areas, some government officials feel otherwise, saying that the criminals have always contacted some villages intimating them of an impending attack.
Social commentators lay the insecurity blame on the feet of the Federal Government since its primary function is protection of lives and property.
However, they have called for deeper collaboration with other stakeholders, including the media, citizens and telecom operators to deal with the insecurity nightmare.
Already, the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has appealed to the Federal Government to restore telecom services in areas experiencing banditry in the state.
The governor made the call recently while receiving the governors of Borno and Gombe states, Babagana Zulum and Muhammad Yahaya, who represented governors of the Northeast geopolitical zone in a condolence visit to the state over the recent markets attacks by bandits that left more than 40 people dead.
He maintained that the decision was taken at the enlarged security meeting in the state.
He said: “The call for the rescinding of the blockade became necessary in view of concerns expressed by security outfits in the state that the outage was affecting the smooth conduct of their works. We have already forwarded a letter to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to review the telecoms blockade”.
This was as reports emerged that bandits in Zamfara State were evading the telecommunication blackout in many parts of the state to reach out to families of two graduates abducted enroute to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Kebbi State.
The NCC had directed mobile telecommunications network providers to shut down their networks in Zamfara State for two weeks, in line with military recommendations, to help tackle the activities of bandits and kidnappers.
In a statement, Zailani Bappa, media aide to the governor, quoted Matawalle as saying that the restoration of the service in the state’s capital was imperative following the tremendous success recorded in the fight against banditry.
“Government finds it necessary to ease the tight measures after the recorded successes. The operations have no doubt destabilised the criminals terrorising the state”, he said.
Meanwhile, residents in Zamfara and Sokoto states have continued to count their losses and hardship arising from the telecom blackout.
Martha Yusuf, a Point of Sale (PoS) operator, said that she has been out of business for weeks as she needed both an active phone line and Internet to transact her business.
“For over two weeks, I did not earn a dime. I could barely feed so I ran over to Abuja to eke out a livelihood. This is my source of income and livelihood and it’s under threat as this telecom services blackout persists.
“Let them free us. We need to survive to battle insecurity”, she lamented.
John Bature, a businessman in Sokoto who also fled to Abuja said: “I sell foodstuff and other consumables. I usually order some of them from Lagos. I also take wares there. But now I can’t reach my clients and customers. I don’t know what they want. We can’t communicate. My business is dying. The earlier the government deals with insecurity, the better. It is their duty. I’ve never heard where people shut down Internet connection or phone lines to battle insecurity. They know where the terrorists are. They have been in this state terrorising us. How many have they caught since the blackout?”