On Monday, April 4 2022, the Federal Government of Nigeria directed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to bar outgoing calls on subscriber’s allotted line(s) yet to be linked with the National Identification Number (NIN) database.
TechEconomy.ng reported that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date, and over 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication, while estimated 72 million telecoms subscribers where affected following the directive by the FG to commence the enforcement of the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive through Professor Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, for the implementation and commencement of the exercise in December 2020, as part of the administration’s security and social policies.
NIN, NIN-SIM linkage
However, many Nigerians have questioned the potency of the NIN-SIM linkage, particularly as acts of terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and arson, have continued unabated.
Some are asking why intelligence has failed the security agencies despite the NIN-SIM linkage which they believe have failed to yield expected results.
But in a chat with TechEconomy.ng on ‘Solving the National Security Challenges Using Technology’, Professor Adesina Sodiya, the President, Nigeria Computer Society, said the issue has been in the front burner, however, the citizens must understand that NIN-SIM linkage alone cannot solve the social vices.
He said had set up a Technical Committee to recommend possible technological interventions to assist the security agencies to tackle the menace.
ALSO READ Ajibola Olude speaks on 15years experience as ATCON COO
Prof. Sodiya speaks:
“We even set up an in-house technical committee which I told you about the last time we chatted. The committee has been strategizing, coming up with adoptable and implementable solutions towards solving our national security using technology.
“The committee submitted the report and NCS as a body has made recommendations to the appropriate quarters including Office the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the military, etc. The central message of that report is how to leverage technology to drive intelligent gathering, using unmanned devices to monitor these criminal elements, and even how to leverage listening devices to tap into their network and obtain intelligence. These devices can be deployed in critical areas. Well, some of them acknowledged our proposal. However, we shall continue to speak until the country is salvaged.
ADVERTISEMENT
Adnairax
“Nobody is proud of what is happening in the country, especially where we have been listed among ‘Top 10 Hungry Nations’.
“We have also been listed among the ‘Top 20 Most Dangerous Nations’ in the world. These statistics are not good for our country. The criminals who set these records for the country must be flushed out. It is heartbreaking to ‘see’ bandits attack a train.
NCS Cybersecurity Summit 2022
“If we flash out minds back to few months ago, one of the reasons the government insisted on implementing the policy on NIN-SIM linkage was because of security. Security is on the top three agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“Well, the issue is that NIN-SIM linkage policy on its own will not solve our problem. But it is a step towards solving our problems. With NIN-SIM linkage you can have an idea where a call is coming, who used the line, who registered the line – the three must be brought to book to nib insecurity in the bud.
ALSO READ McKinsey & Company Partner, Ivan Ostojić, Joins Infobip as Chief Business Officer
“From our investigations, many criminals have been apprehended because of the NIN-SIM linkage policy. At the same time, we need to deal with radicalization of the citizens by some ideologists who are bent on causing disaffection in the country. It is not ideology vs technology. Technology can work to the extent it was deployed and configured, but ideology spreads like wild fire.
“So, tackling our security challenges requires collective effort. In most cases, the communities need to provide intelligence to the security agencies to then deploy technology. On the other hands, professionals need to be involved. If we are talking about smart city, smart security, drones, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies that can help to combat insecurity, then we need to recruit professionals into the security apparatuses of the nation to assist in deploying and manning the gadgets. We can’t rely on trial and error to combat insecurity; and the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) is always ready to assist the government in this regard”.