Nigeria: 73 million SIM-NIN Unlinked Subscribers Barred from Making Calls
The following article was written by Rhonda Wilson and published by The Daily Expose last April 25, 2022.
Wilson reports that the Nigerian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate all SIM cards which are not yet linked to a National Identity Number (NIN).
Wilson goes on to expound on why the Nigerian government wants to force SIM-NIN linkage. According to the Nigerian government, “the 11-digit identification number is the foundation for a comprehensive digital ID system that will tackle insurgency by militants…as well as other crimes. NIN registration involves the recording of an individual’s demographic data and capturing their fingerprints, photo, and digital signature.
Wilson adds that other countries are also looking at implementing new phone rules with South Africa proposing to tie biometric data to their SIM cards in order to “clamp down on fraudulent activity”.
Wilson closes her article by discussing ID2020, a move that enables cloud-based storage of medical and personal identification documents so that these can be accessed anywhere in the world.
Editor’s Note: This article is relevant for us Filipinos because less than a month ago, President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the SIM card registration law which would have required the mandatory registration of SIM cards and social media accounts.1https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/828613/duterte-vetoes-proposed-sim-card-registration-law/story/ While the Philippine version did not require linking SIM cards to the National ID system, Duterte himself said that the vetoed bill “may give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance, threatening many constitutionally protected rights”.
While Filipinos only look at SIM card registration as a deterrent to cybercrime, the Nigerian experience shows that it could cause more problems than it will solve.
The Great Reset is knocking on our doors, and we must be wary of any attempt at creating a centralized ID system where there is no space for anonymity [also read Vaccines: Trojan Horses for Global Sterilization and Surveillance to remember how the two-week lockdown in 2020 has given birth to digital tyranny].
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