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Registration of new SIM cards had been suspended in Nigeria for about four months. Now there’s been a change of mind by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
It’s been only a couple of weeks since the government announced a new 6 May deadline for end users to link their National Identification Numbers (NINs) to their SIM cards. The suspension of SIM registrations began in December 2020, at the same time as the directive regarding NINs and SIMs.
Isa Pantami: I've been preaching against Boko Haram for 15 years today.ng - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from today.ng Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
#PantamiResign Trends On Twitter As Nigerians Call For Sacking Of Minister Over Pro-terrorism Comments
On Saturday, a report in a Nigerian newspaper, Daily Independent Independent claimed that the United States government allegedly placed Pantami on a watchlist for reported links with Boko Haram leaders citing the “America’s Intelligence Service.”
by Saharareporters, New York
Apr 16, 2021
Nigerians on social media have started trending the #PantamiResign hashtag while calling for the sacking of the Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Isa Ali Pantami, over alleged ties with terrorism and terrorist groups.
On Saturday, a report in a Nigerian newspaper, Daily Independent Independent claimed that the United States government allegedly placed Pantami on a watchlist for reported links with Boko Haram leaders citing the “America’s Intelligence Service.”
(From the blog: ‘My Nigerian Dream’)
Nigeria remains a country of countless contradictions. Impressive and daring citizens on one hand, yet a shockingly unimpressive leadership on the other. When ‘we the people’ clamour for ‘good governance’, it’s not just a mantra. Why can we not implement seemingly simple yet reasonable strategies? Good governance is neither just an idea nor an elusive ideal. In its most simplistic and humane sense, it is small everyday steps, taken for the benefit of all citizens, and encapsulated by sensible action and empathy. Another way to say that is that leaders ought to develop policies and act based on a true understanding of the plight of the common citizen with a commitment to ease it. Finito! Not too much to ask, is it?
Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega
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After four months of suspending the registration of new SIM cards, Nigeria’s Communications Commission (NCC) has done an about face. The suspension of SIM registrations began in December 2020 when the NCC said that all telcos should link National Identification Numbers (NIN) to every mobile subscriber.
The directive in December came with a threat to disconnect everyone who failed to connect their NIN to their SIM within 4 weeks. That deadline has been moved twice, with the newest deadline being May 6.
The deadlines have not been very effective because the telcos are expected to register over 50 million mobile subscribers within a small window. Coupled with this is the pace of the biometric verification process which the NCC says has been “slower than anticipated.”