Nigeria strives to bridge security loopholes, catch up to advanced global digitalization

On Tuesday, December 15, news broke out that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) ordered telecommunication networks to block SIM cards without National Identity Numbers (NIN) within the space of two weeks. The major telephone network players in the Nigerian industry are MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat. However, the House of Representatives asked FGN to extend this interlude period for 10 weeks. In response, three (3) weeks extension has been granted for subscribers with NIN from 30th December 2020 to 19th January 2021; and six (6) weeks extension for subscribers without NIN from 30th December 2020 to 9th February 2021.
This follows the earlier suspension of new SIM card registration by all operators on Wednesday, December 9 by the FGN through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. So, in a bid to complete the new ongoing audit, which has left many players in the sector unsettled, the Nigerian government appears to be trying to make up for the lost time in catching up to advanced digitalization as seen in many countries across the globe today.
Recall that the Minister gave this order in February 2020, but little was done by telcos and the NCC to remind people to register for the NIN and update with their service providers.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on Tuesday evening, the decision was arrived at after an emergency Monday meeting of key stakeholders in the communications industry.
Participants at the meeting included the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), as well as the CEOs and management staff of all service providers in the industry.

This move by FGN was done in an attempt to supplement the progress made from the 2019 SIM registration audit, enhance healthy performance of the Telecommunications sector and bridge loopholes in the nation’s security system given the rising criminal and terrorist activities.
In line with this, all subscribers are to provide valid NIN details to update SIM registration records latest the stipulated deadline, or risk being blocked from the networks.

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This is asides pressure from Nigeria’s Telecom networks to upgrade to 4G from 3G by offering incentives such as free data bonus and extra data. For instance, Globacom is offering a one-off 10GB free data valid for 7-days alongside 25% extra on subsequent data purchases for the next 6-month.

Nigeria’s SIM-card security status versus other countries
At the beginning of the year 2020, Nigeria was listed among the top 15 countries with the worst SIM-card registration policies, according to Comparitech, a UK-based pro-consumer website that provides information, tools, and compares technological services globally. Other countries in this list included Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Uganda, Lebanon, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bahrain, China, Cuba, Cameroon, among others.
Interestingly, global technological advancement has made a SIM card more than a phone number as it allows authorities to easily track people’s locations and movements including online activities – websites visited, search queries, purchases, and more. Authorities could selectively scrutinize or block internet connections of specific people or persons that are considered security threats.
On the other hand, although building in-depth database profile of citizens could be an advantage, it could also be problematic if such private data falls into the wrong hands. This angle of possibly posing a threat to privacy and freedom of expression is often the angle of those who criticize mandatory SIM-card registration without proper safeguards.
While most advanced countries seem to have been able to effectively harness its comprehensive database of citizens in ensuring improved security, identification and eradication of numerous criminal activities, the same cannot be said with certainty for Nigeria.
Nonetheless, it appears that the Nigerian government is now trying to take digital Identity projects more seriously after the country recently woke up to the news that suspected terrorists have kidnapped students of a boarding school in Katsina, whose exact number remains unknown and are still with their abductors according to many state reports. This is asides almost two decades of increased terrorism especially by the Boko Haram group which started in 2002 but their insurgency began in 2009 in Northeastern Nigeria.

How do Nigerians proceed to link their NINs to SIM-cards?
As the world is yet to fully recover from the clutches of COVID-19 alongside hastening the process among Nigeria’s overwhelmingly large populace, it seems efforts have been made to link people’s NIN to SIMs remotely.
A media aide for President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmed tweeted on Tuesday that “if already enrolled, dial *346# to retrieve your NIN.”
This suggests innovative ways to facilitate the registration and linking of NIN to SIM cards either through the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and online website platforms.
“For those using Airtel as a network provider, dial *121# to submit you NIN for verification and subsequently link it to your number. For MTN, dial *785#,” Ahmed said.

It appears that the USSD code to check for the NIN status on 9mobile and Airtel is *346#. However, BusinessDay investigation shows that the USSD option which previously cost N20 is now free alongside free verification fees during the period of the extension. Meanwhile, foreigners are expected to use their passports when registering their SIM cards.

Regardless of efforts to execute this process remotely, it appears that many Nigerians are already queuing up at NIMC centres, shunning health protocols and risking the possible spread of the Coronavirus.
How feasible is the extended deadline and what does it mean for Nigerians?
This decision to register and link people’s NIN to SIMS in the space of a few weeks sparks the curiosity of how much compliance can truly be achieved.
NCC figures indicate there were over 152 million Internet subscribers as of October 2020, and data from Statista of over 206 million Nigerian populace with about 100 million adults suggest that several mobile phone users have more than one SIM cards with no age limit for SIM registration in the nation.
BusinessDay estimates that about 24.3 million persons will be affected by this rather quick-paced decision. To start with, it took the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) over 10 years (since its establishment in 2007) to allocate 42 million NINs, which indicates the lengthy and sluggish process involved. As such, it is rather puzzling as to how 19 million subscribers that are without NIN as projected by BusinessDay will be able to register and link their NIN to SIMs in just 10 weeks.
Notwithstanding, the FGN notes that the NIN will soon become a compulsory requirement in obtaining licences and filing for applications nationwide. In line with this, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has made it known that NIN would soon become a requirement for obtaining a driver’s licence within the country, effective from 21 December 2020.

If many are unable to link their NINs to SIMs within the stipulated timeframe and the deadline is not extended further, blocking millions of subscribers could have severe ripple effects by further contracting the Nigerian economy.
According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Telecommunications sector has been contributing significantly to Nigeria’s growth. In Q3 2020, it contributed 17.36% to Nigeria’s GDP, making it one of the best performing sectors in a quarter when the country fell into recession. So, if millions of subscribers are blocked, it is possible that the Telecom sector might contract in the turn of the year.

Short Bio
Favour Olarewaju is an Economics and Markets Analyst at BusinessDay Media Nigeria. In addition to writing content surrounding economic and financial issues, she is a researcher and pre-doctoral research fellow. She is also a masters’ degree holder from Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. She is an active member of a charity organization known as Clothe A Person and strongly believes in making the world a better place by proffering solutions to societal problems through research analysis.