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  • Nigerians Without NIN Risk Going To Jail — Pantami

    Nigerians Without NIN Risk Going To Jail — Pantami

     

    The minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, says Nigerians involved in business transactions without a national identification number (NIN) risk jail term or fine.

     

    He said this while delivering an address at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

     

    Pantami warned that those yet to obtain their NIN are violating a section of the NIMC Act of 2007, noting that 51 million Nigerians have registered for their national identification number (NIN).

     

    He referenced section 27 of act which establishes NIN as a prerequisite for several registrations and transactions in Nigeria.

     

    According to him, while obtaining a SIM card maybe optional, NIN is mandatory as it is a criminal offense in Nigeria to carry out business activities without it.

     

    “Based on the requirement by law each and every citizen and legal resident must obtain his/her national identification number, which is being coordinated by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). It’s a requirement by law but many citizens ignore it,” he said.

     

    “For you to open a bank account without national identity number is an offence. For you to pay tax is an offence, for you to collect pension is an offence, for you to enjoy any government service, without having national identity number is an offence.

     

    “No country will be successful in education, health, budget planning or national planning without database of its citizens in place.

     

    “The NIMC Act clause 27 states that you need the NIN for opening bank account, for insurance, land transactions, voters registration, drivers licenses. So, it is an offense to transact any business activity without first having your NIN.

     

    “Section 29 says if you do any of these in 27, without obtain National Identity Number you have committed a crime that will lead to fines or imprisonment, or both of them.”

     

    WHAT DOES THE NIMC ACT SAYS?

     

    The NIMC Act of 2007 acknowledges the importance of NIN in engaging in business transactions.

     

    Section 27 of the act provides for the mandatory use of NIN.

     

    It states that NIN is needed for registration and issuance of passport, opening of bak accounts, purchase of insurance policies, transfer and registration of land, voter’s registration, tax payment, among others.

     

    It is also required for “any other transaction which the Commission may so prescribe and list in the Federal Government Gazette”.

     

    “Any authority or organisation to which a person applies to carry out any transaction listed under subsection (I) of this section shall request such person to produce his Multipurpose Identity Card or National Identification Number,” the act reads.

     

    For defaulters, section 29 of the same act, notes that there is a penalty for not owning a NIN before engaging in transactions or registrations.

     

    The section states that an individual who violates section 27 will get a jail sentence of at least six months or a minimum of N50,000 fine.

     

    “Any person who carries out or permits the carrying out of any transaction specified in section 27 of this Act without a National Identification Number commits an offence and shall,” it reads.

     

    “Where the offence is committed by a registered individual, be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N50,000.00 or imprisonment for a term not less than 6 months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

     

    “Where the offence is committed by a body corporate, be liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N1,000,000.00 and in addition, the Chief Executive or the line manager or other similar officer of the body corporate, or any other person purporting to act in any such capacity shall be deemed guilty of that offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of N1,000,000.00 each.”

     

  • NIN-SIM Linkage: Pantami Commends Airtel for Compliance with ongoing NIMC Enrollment Exercise

    NIN-SIM Linkage: Pantami Commends Airtel for Compliance with ongoing NIMC Enrollment Exercise

    The Minister of Communication & Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has commended leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, for its compliance with the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN) verification and enrollment exercise during a visit to one of the telco’s enrolment centers in Abuja on Monday, February 8, 2021.

     

    The Minister led a delegation of key government officials including Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz, Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), amongst others to the Airtel showroom, situated at Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

     

    During the visit, Isa Pantami expressed satisfaction with Airtel’s compliance to the ongoing exercise, extoling the company for partnering with the Government and taking  definitive steps in ensuring a smooth NIN verification and enrolment process.

     

    Specifically, the Minister profoundly thanked Airtel for its cooperation with Government in making adequate preparations for the exercise and asked that his appreciation be extended to the Chief Executive Officer and the entire Airtel Management.

     

    The Minister was received by Airtel Nigeria’s Regional Operations Director, North West Region, ThankGod Otorkpa and General Manager, Government Relations, Kehinde Sanusi.

     

    Other government officials in the company of the Minister during the visit were Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA); Engr. Ibrahim Nguru, Special Assistant to the Minister; Mr. Adeleke Morounfolu Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, amongst others.

     

    Airtel became one of the first telcos to partner with the Government in expanding the NIN registration footprints following its announcement of enrolment centres across Lagos and Abuja.

     

    The Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya in a statement released by the telco stated that Airtel is always seeking opportunities to partner with the Nigerian Government on initiatives that will make life easier for Nigerians; hence the company’s collaboration with the NIMC to register citizens in the ongoing exercise.

    NIN-SIM Linkage exercise: On-the-spot assessment visit by Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to Airtel Showroom in Abuja on Monday, February 8,2021

    Other fully operational Airtel NIN enrollment centres in Abuja include Transcorp Hilton, situated in Mataima and Airtel showrooms at Carpet Plaza and Kano Crescent in Wuse 2, while those in Lagos include, Airtel Express Point, VI; Airtel showrooms in Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere; Tejuosho, Yaba; Isheri Road, Ogba and Oba Akran, Ikeja.

     

    Customers are advised to visit any of the centres nearest to them to complete their verification and enrollment exercise.

     

    Those without NIN can fulfil the requirement at any certified NIMC enrolment centre, while those who already have NINs have the option to send their NINs to Airtel via USSD, SMS or through the Airtel Self Care app or website to update their SIM registration details.

  • NIN-SIMs Linkage: Bilesanmi Blows Hot, Urges Buhari, Pantami to Stop Sacrificing Subscribers’ Lives

    NIN-SIMs Linkage: Bilesanmi Blows Hot, Urges Buhari, Pantami to Stop Sacrificing Subscribers’ Lives

    • Says NIN/SIM Deadline Extension Should Be for Six Months, Not 8 Weeks

     

    By Adejuwon OSUNNUYI

     

    With the ongoing NIN-SIMs linkage deadline extended by eight weeks, the Association of Telephone, Cable TV & Internet Subscribers (ATCIS) has again challenged Nigerian authorities for its continued indifference attitude of exposing Nigerians to the risk of losing their lives while trying to register for the National Identity Number as well linking same to their SIM cards.

     

    The concern of the association becomes imperative in the light of growing cases of Coronavirus pandemic in the country and the sad loss of lives recorded on daily basis to the dreaded disease.

     

    Speaking at a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the National President of ATCIS, Prince ‘Sina Bilesanmi said while the NIN-SIM harmonization could be said to be important, the lives of subscribers are more important.

     

    Bilesanmi said President Mohammadu Buhari should heed the voice of reason by suspending the NIN registration in the face of rising cases of the Covid-19.

     

    According to the ATCIS President, “It is very disheartening that at a time when people are encouraged to stay at home and stay safe; when social distance has been acknowledged as the most potent prevention of further spread of the virus, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has thrown caution into the wind by forcing the subscribers to fight for their SIMs from being blocked, while in the process get their lives endangered.”

     

    “Honestly, I don’t know the reason behind this call for registration at this odd period of coronavirus pandemic. Our government must put health and safety of our people into consideration because COVID-19 is real.

     

    “COVID-19 is not a glamorous disease, neither is it a hoax. Except our government is deliberately trying to endanger the lives of Nigerians, the exercise should be suspended immediately.”

     

    The Business Bells recalls that the NIMC staff had embarked on strike action over what they described as exposure to risks of COVID-19, among other demands.

     

    Before the suspension of the strike, many Nigerians had expressed frustration while trying to get enrolled for their NIN, just as some alleged that they were asked by NIMC staff for financial inducement before they could be registered.

     

    Speaking further, Bilesanmi said, “More importantly, we expect the government to do better and abolish the fear around NIN-SIM harmonization by extending the deadline as recommended to avoid losing the gains of the exercise to a possible explosion in Coronavirus cases which is more life  threatening than a SIM without a NIN.

     

    He noted that the NIN/SIM deadline extension should be for at least six months, and not the 8 weeks as announced by the Minister of Technology and Digital Economy.

     

    In the opinion of ATCIS, the insistence of the government on the new deadline, April 6, 2021 for the full linkage of NINs to the over 208 million active telephone subscribers in the country has led to human deluge at various NIN registration centres in the country.

     

    The association said since the government made the irrational decision to disconnect all telephone subscribers without NIN on the stipulated deadline, it has observed from its visitations to different state centres of the National Identity Management Commission that the centres have become a breeding ground to COVID-19.

     

    “We find it rather absurd for the government to insist on ‘NINing’ of all subscribers within such can unrealistic deadline, given that NIMC had only managed to issue about 43 million NINs even with its about 14-year hard work.  Does the Minister really want Subscribers to sacrifice their lives to retain their telephone lines? We wonder!”

     

    “Minister, NCC and the MNO’s disclosed that so far, about 56.18 million NINs have been collected by telcos. This may be seen as an achievement on the part of the government and its agents. However, given the current precarious state of public health in the country, ATCIS’s concern goes beyond how many NIN-SIM linkages have been achieved, but at what human cost?”

     

    The National President of ATCIS however urged the 106.2 million subscriber members yet to be linked  to submit their NINs before April 6, 2021 deadline.

     

    According to him, subscribers should act responsibly by observing COVID-19 preventive protocols as they go out to enroll at various NIN registration centres across the country.

     

    While speaking on the license granted some other private and public organisations by the commission to provide NINs in order to address the crowds at commission’s offices, the ATCIS  urged the federal government / NIMC to compel the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to ensure that personal data of subscribers are safe with its members ( telecom operators).

     

    “ALTON should assure ATCIS that subscribers’ NIN-data are safe with its members,” he said.

     

    Speaking on his determination to continued speaking and fighting for the rights of Nigerian telephone and cable subscribers, Bilesanmi said over the years, in its sustained effort in protecting the interest and right of telecoms subscribers in Nigeria, the association, ATCIS has spent about N367million since 2014 till 31st January, 2021which has basically been on self-sponsored by members without government agency like NCC, NBC and NIMC input.

     

    The association has made over 630 newspaper publications, both local  and international  as well as online news publication, Radio and National Television Station Interviews with about  95 landmark achievements so far.