Whose job is it to update the SIM Registration Records with NIN? Is it the Network Providers, NIMC or NCC?
With regards to the directive by NCC (the regulator of the communications sector in Nigeria), on behalf of the Federal Government, Mobile Network Providers (MNOs) are to update SIM registration records with NIN. This will be done in collaboration with NIMC and the MNOs. More so other government institutions, state governments and private companies have been approved as enrolment agents to MNOs subscribers.
We have NIN, SIM, BVN etc. all have biometric information – which is a unique identifier, and all can be linked without disruption, and without most people even knowing that such linking/integration is taking place. If for example, the biometrics match (but the other details don’t), then you call the affected person in for a data cleaning exercise. There is really no rationale for this wholesale reinvention of the wheel – as is the case, presently. So why is NCC not adopting this approach?
- The process described above is currently underway. The Federal Government recently announced that all agencies which collect biometric data should harmonise them with NIMC so that citizens do not have to provide the same information multiple times. Implementation of this is ongoing. For instance, the BVN is already being harmonized with NIN, the Nigerian Immigration Service now use NIMC data for verifying personal data, and the Federal Road Safety Commission recently announced ongoing harmonisation with the NIMC database.
- The number of Nigerians enrolled in all of the databases mentioned above is relatively small in comparison to the number of mobile phone subscribers in the country. Also, there is a huge disconnect between the details provided by many Nigerians when registering their SIMs compared to what was provided for other databases. This is why the harmonisation cannot be carried out solely at the “back-end”.
- Please note that the NCC is doing everything possible to minimise the inconveniences arising from this critical exercise. This is why alternate channels (such as USSD and SMS) are being used for the verification so that people who have registered for the NIN and who provided accurate information to both NIMC and mobile operators can simply link from the comfort of their mobile handsets.
What other things should people know about SIM registration and update with NIN?
- Further developments regarding the SIM update exercise will be communicated to the public as they unfold.
- Interested members of the public are advised to monitor developments at the website of the
Federal Ministry Communications and Digital Economy at https://www.commtech.gov.ng/
NIMC at https://nimc.gov.ng/ and the
NCC at https://www.ncc.gov.ng/
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