In its sustained effort to protect the interest and rights of telecoms subscribers in Nigeria, the Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers ( ATCIS ) has again met with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isah Pantami, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission Mr. Aliyu Aziz and other stakeholders in the Telecommunication industry to chart a new practicable and safer environment for National Identity Number Registration and NIN-SIM linkage exercises.

ATCIS challenged the federal government for exposing Nigerians to the risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus while assembling to enroll for the National Identification Number across the country without strict compliance with Covid-19 protocols and provision of personal safety equipment and materials for the Personnel and enrollees.

The concern of the association becomes imperative in the light of geometric increase in the number of Coronavirus cases recorded in the country daily and the resultant loss of human lives.

To accommodate every Telecom Subscriber in the NIN-SIM linkage exercise, the ATCIS advised the federal government and the National Identity Management Commission to extend the exercise by at least six months.

The Association frowned at the April 6, 2021 new deadline for the full linkage of NINs to the over 208 million active telephone Subscribers in the country as at year 2020.

During his Reconnaissance survey and periodic visitations to the registration centres across the states, ATCIS Team observed total disregard for Covid-19 guidelines , overcrowding and lack of safety equipment and materials. A Suituation that has become worrisome and breeding grounds to COVID-19 pandemic.

“At a time when people are encouraged to stay at home and stay safe; when social distance has been acknowledged as the most potent prevention of further spread of the virus, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Pantami has thrown caution to the wind by forcing the subscribers to unsafe and overcrowded registration centres , while in the process get their lives endangered”, Bilesanmi said.

“We find it rather absurd for the government to insist on ‘NINing’ of all subscribers within such can unrealistic deadline, given that NIMC had only managed to issue about 43 million NINs even with its about 14-year of existence”, part of the Association’s statement read.

“Does the Minister really want Subscribers to sacrifice their lives to retain their telephone lines”?, the Association queried.

Though, the Minister, NCC and MNO’s in a statement disclosed that as at the last count, about 56.18 Million NINs have been collected by Telecommunication Operators. This may be seen as an achievement on the part of the government and its agents. However, given the current precarious state of public health in the country, ATCIS’s concern goes beyond how many NIN-SIM linkages have been achieved, but the need to protect human lives.

ATCIS-NIGERIA urged the Nigerian government to stop exposing Subscribers to what could trigger a disaster beyond the control of the authorities relaxing the deadline, and extending it by another Six months.

“My Fellow Subscribers, as your National President of ATCIS, Please, i urged all the 106.2 million Subscribers Members yet to be linked to submit their NINs before April 6, 2021 deadline”, Bilesanmi said.

It could be recalled that On Wednesday 27 January, 2021 NIMC Director-General, Mr. Aliyu Aziz, announced that some private and public organisations had also been licensed by the commission to provide register Nigerians in order to address the surging crowds at commission’s offices.

ATCIS National President, Prince Sina Bilesanmi asked the federal government and National Identity Management Commission
to compel the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to ensure that personal data of subscribers are secured, safe and well managed at all times.

Speaking further, Bilesanmi said “Now that the government has decided to allow telecom operators and other private organisations to generate the NIN for Subscribers, we at *ATCIS* are saying that it is a good decision and we support it. But the question we need to ask is; how safe are the data being provided by subscribers”?

“We are raising this poser because there had been reported cases in the past whereby telecoms and MNO’s staff connive with fraudsters by selling off their data to them for fraudulent activities”, ATCIS President revealed.

“As ATCIS always advocates, we urge every Nigerian Subscriber to be responsible by observing the COVID-19 preventive protocols while we encourage the Presidential Tax Force on COVID-19 to keep ensuring total compliance across the country”, Bilesanmi emphasised.

In his conclusion, Bilesanmi reiterated the association demands to include but not limited to improved, seamless registration and NIM-SIM linkage exercise, proper sensitisation and enlightenment of the citizenry on the fear around NIN-SIM harmonization and extension of the exercise.