Socio–Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami and Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC), Aliyu Abubakar to stop the push for registration of Nigerians for National Identity Number (NIN) and withdraw the threat to block SIM cards.
It argued that data being sought already exist in several platforms, including the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), driver’s license, international passport, and voters’ card.
The organisation also urged him to instruct Mr. Pantami and Mr Abubakar to take concrete measures to promptly ensure that the NIMC is able to faithfully and effectively discharge its statutory functions to harmonize and integrate existing identification databases in government agencies into the National Identity Database, and to use the information to update SIM card registration.
The Federal Government had threatened that SIM cards not linked to NIN by 30 December would be blocked and that telecom service providers that failed to block phone numbers without NIN would have their operating licences withdrawn.
But SERAP in a letter dated December 19 by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare and copied to Mr Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Pantami and Mr Abubakar, said: “Instead of forcing Nigerians to register, threatening telecom service providers with sanctions, and exposing Nigerians to the risks of COVID-19, your government ought to make sure that the NIMC discharges its statutory functions to harmonise and integrate existing identification databases in government agencies, and make use of the information collected.
“The request for Nigerians to register for NIN is burdensome, unjustified and unnecessary. It would end up serving no other purpose than to threaten and violate the rights of Nigerians, and create a ‘chilling effect’ on citizens’ ability to participate in the fight against corruption in the country, and thereby seriously undermining the government’s oft-repeated commitment to transparency and accountability.
The letter, read in part: “We would be grateful if your government would indicate the measures being taken to stop the unnecessary registration of NIN, withdraw the threat to block SIM cards, and take concrete measures to promptly ensure that the NIMC is able to faithfully discharge its statutory functions to harmonise and integrate existing identification databases in government agencies into the National Identity Database, within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter.”
“If we have not heard from you by then as to the steps being taken in this direction, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to implement these recommendations in the interest of millions of Nigerians.”