The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has stressed the importance of regarding the National Identification Number (NIN) as crucial data for sustainable development.
Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal, Enforcement, and Regulations at NDPC, made this assertion in Abuja on Thursday, addressing concerns about the alleged data breach by expressverify.com, a licensee of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Bamigboye highlighted that the commission was actively investigating the reported incident of unauthorised NIN verification by expressverify.com. He explained that while genuine businesses might have permitted expressverify.com to use NIN verification credentials, the circumstances surrounding this permission were still under scrutiny.
The NDPC emphasised the need for thorough scrutiny of data processing by licensees, ensuring only those compliant with regulatory standards are allowed to conduct NIN verification in the future.
Bamigboye urged the public to recognise NIN as essential data for sustainable development.
Regarding the response to the expressverify.com incident, Bamigboye noted that NIMC had temporarily restricted access to its database as part of established remediation protocols.
While recognising the impact on genuine verification requests, he said limited access was granted to establishments providing critical public services like education and security.
“Ongoing investigations aim to determine how expressverify.com obtained credentials from legitimate third parties and hold responsible parties accountable under existing laws”.
Bamigboye stressed the importance of strengthening technical and organisational measures for data protection, urging citizens to avoid sharing personal information indiscriminately online.
Bamigboye announced plans for training sessions to educate personnel and licensees on their responsibilities under the Nigeria Data Protection Act and NIMC’s Privacy Policy. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Heirs Technologies, a digital solutions company, says it has started empowering young tech enthusiasts through its i-Academy initiative to mitigate tech-talent attrition in Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer, Heirs Technologies, Mr Obong Idiong, said this at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said the six months’ training programme would provide young tech enthusiasts with the skills and knowledge needed to launch a successful career in the technology industry.
Idiong also noted that the company was targeting 100 interns this year as against only 30 youths that were trained last year.
“Students will learn front end software development, backend software development and additional soft skills in a hybrid learning approach,” he said.
According to Idiong, as part of the curriculum, interns are exposed to real-life applications and projects.
He added that during the projects, the company ensures interns are well-equipped to design programmes both individually and in teams.
On community engagement, Idiong said the company was partnering indigenous organisations, schools and others to address community needs.
“We plan to offer basic or introductory training programmes for employees and local communities in the long run.
Speaking on local content, the managing director said Heirs was looking at multiple strategies to see the indices that could be substituted.
“If you look at the fintech space in Nigeria, we are doing a lot. We have local solutions that address some of the challenges in that space.
“We are looking at what we can do differently. We are trying to substitute foreign providers with our local providers in Nigeria.
“Heirs Technology is not here to do things that others are doing, we want to build something that will really change the game and add value to businesses,” Idiong said.
He added that Heirs was focusing on enabling local and multinational companies through local solutions.
Idiong said Heirs had plans to supervise talents that understood the business landscape.
“We are also establishing clear business ethics and transparency in communication of business operations and implementing sustainable practices, reduce waste and promote energy efficiency.
On other services rendered, Idiong said the company ‘s IT consulting services was aimed at helping businesses improve their operations, by advising them on how to use Information Technology (IT) effectively. (NAN)
The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has trained women on how to mitigate cooking challenges and improve health and environmental degradation through clean cooking stoves in the country.
Its Director-General, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said this on Wednesday at the opening of gender sensitisation training on the adoption of clean cooking solutions, organised for women by ECN in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day programme focuses on Clean Cookstoves for Sustainable Energy Development for Women aimed at addressing energy challenges through a gender-sensitive lens.
The director-general said the programme would enhance the socio- economic well-being of women and their families.
“This workshop serves as a platform for knowledge exchange, capacity building, and collaborative action towards promoting the widespread adoption of clean cooking solutions.
“This is tailored to the needs and realities of women who bear the brunt of air pollution from the traditional method of cooking.
“Through interactive sessions, insightful discussions, and practical demonstrations, we will explore innovative technologies, and best practices to accelerate the transition towards clean and sustainable cooking solutions.”
Abdullahi said that the training underscored the commission’s commitment to mainstreaming gender considerations in energy policies and initiatives, adding that women were not only disproportionately affected by energy poverty.
According to him, it also possesses unique knowledge, skills, and perspectives that are invaluable in shaping effective solutions.
He urged participants to actively engage, share experiences, and forge partnerships that would contribute to the success of collective efforts.
“Together, we can pave the way for a brighter, healthier, and more equitable future, where clean cooking solutions empower women, protect the environment, and drive sustainable development for generations to come,’’ he said.
In his remarks, Dr Charles Odii, the Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said the adoption of innovation and technology would bring about significat advancement breakthrough in Various fields.
Odii, who was represented by Assistant Chief Enterprise Officer, Mrs Idorenyi Etim, assured of continued and mutual relationship between SMEDAN and ECN for the growth and development of the nation’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sub-sector.
“This will harness knowledge, expertise and resources to develop initiative solutions that solve problems, improve efficiency, drive progress and deliver,’’ he said.
Alhaji Abdulkareem Aliyu, a resource person, presented a paper titled: “Mainstreaming in Climate Change in Nigeria: Energy Sector”.
According to him, women can play a critical role in responding to climate change due to their local knowledge of sustainable resources at household level.
“Mainstreaming gender in Nigeria’s climate action, particularly within the energy sector of renewable and biomass, is not a social justice issue but a necessity for achieving renewable development.
“By dismantling existing barriers and empowering women, we unlock their invaluable knowledge, leadership and resource management skills.
“This fosters stronger community resilience, unlocks green job opportunities and ensures that climate solutions benefit everyone.
“Nigeria’s transition towards a clean energy must be inclusive and that can only be achieved by placing gender equality at the heart of climate action strategies.”
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mrs Ngozi Uche, who thanked the commission for the gesture, said the programme would help them to sensitise others to adopt cookstoves as methods of cooking. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has emphasised the need for governance practitioners and capital market operators to fully embrace the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their operations.
Mrs Abiola Laseinde, Chairman, Corporate Members and Training Committee, ICSAN, gave the advice at a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
The conference was to unveil the institute’s forthcoming 2024 company secretaries and registrars forum.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the event scheduled for April 4 has the theme: “The Implications of Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence for Capital Market Operators.”
Laseinde said the need to embrace AI by capital market operators would tackle issues of unclaimed dividends in the nation’s capital market.
She described AI as the new oil the country needed to leverage to drive majority of its operations to great success.
Laseinde, however, noted that leveraging technologies such as AI with its attendant cybersecurity risks required digital protection measures.
“It is very important to embrace AI particularly seeing as data is the new oil hence the need for operators to leverage investing heavily in technology.
“Companies must however have strategies in place to help minimise the risks that comes with technology adoption to help prevent cyber attacks.
“ICSAN is big on collaborations and we are engaging the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Reporting Council l, and other international stakeholders on AI adoption by companies.
“We are also committed to ensuring that participants at the conference benefit maximally from the discussions on embracing technology so as not to fall off the radar and miss value propositions that would enhance operations,” she said.
Mrs Laide Adeyemo, Member, Corporate Members and Training Committee, ICSAN, admonished that while data was the new oil, company secretaries must continue to adhere to the country’s data privacy law in all operations.
Adeyemo noted that everything pertaining to data privacy law in Nigeria was codified under the corporate governance code of conduct to instill governance through the length and breadth of the Nigerian economy.
Mrs Solape Adesuyi, another member of the committee, projected that as Nigeria begins to record several expansions in the economy, the country would likewise begin to see lots of investments in AI technology.
She noted that the forum was a platform to acquaint participants with contemporary practices and pertinent governance issues of national significance.
“It is a capacity boosting governance for professionals in governance field especially the company secretaries and registrars.
“The keynote speaker is Mr Simon Aranonu, Executive Director, Large Enterprises Directorate, Bank of Industry, while other speakers are Mr Moses Ikotun, Managing Director, Unity Registrars Ltd., and Mr Francis Olawale, Managing Director, Frank Nominees Ltd.,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
An Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) expert, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, says ICT is all encompassing to address insecurity, agriculture and other sectoral challenges.
Yilwatda told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that geospatial data has the potential to provide locational information and solutions to addressing such challenges.
According to him, conversations of criminals can be tracked, using advanced telecommunication systems.
“We have digital mapping and we have bandits moving in their numbers.
“To some an extent, we have improved the quality of our maps and we should improve the resolutions of our imagineries to detect movement of vehicles and criminal activities.
“The telecommunication is not on exclusive list, meaning that state governments can make their independent policies on telecommunication.
“We can make policies to track telephone records, filter the data and track communication and discussions,’’ he said.
According to him, we can work with internet exchange point to filter internet discussions that compromise the security systems.
He added that such technology could reduce kidnapping if implemented in state and local governments.
The expert also suggested the use of night vision goggles which has the capacity to see over three kilometers at night, stressing the need for training of officers to acquire knowledge on the use of advanced security gadgets.
National Security
According to him, acquiring a minimum digital skill can also be a requirement for recruiting officers.
“The state governments can get their satellite mapping of areas that have threats, schools, communities, and track the paths of kidnappers even at night.
“We can put technology as a requirement for recruiting people in the police force or security agencies, minimum digital skill,” expert said
According to him, as long as the officers can make calls, send text messages, use WhatsApp, it is technology and they are tech savvy already.
He said “those skills are sufficient enough for them to apply for security management as end users.
“Fighting insecurity is not the sole responsibility of security agencies, Public Private Partnership can be adopted.
“We can win this war with Public Private Partnership, the Nigeria security architecture can bring in experts to deploy technology, because the strategy is with them (security officers),but the technology is for private sector.
“This war requires partnership, it is beyond the physical carrying of arms, deploying to the bush and moving around the bush.
“We should always plan ahead with technology to mitigate the activities of criminals, equip the police and provide inland security.’’
In agriculture, he said ICT could be adopted to improve the agricultural value chain and ensure food insecurity.
According to him, ICT can be applied from farm inputs, to producers, to the logistics of distributing to wholesalers, retailers and finally to the consumers.
“Consumers can as well access quick and safer places to buy cheap farm products. The chain is traceable with technology.
“Satellite mapping can be applied in agriculture, to check for disease control, pest control, to know crops to plant in the right season, and that will boost production.
“These farmers will need a platform that requires training. This means that governments must think of training farmers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Chief Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, has stressed the need for effective Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) coordination for economic prosperity, societal well-being, and sustainable development of the country.
Nnaji made the call on Monday, in Abuja at the opening of the National Research, Development, and Innovation (NRDI) Coordination Summit.
The conference was organised by Research for Impact Knowledge Economy and Sustainable Development( RIKE SD) in collaboration with the West and Central African Research and Education Network ( WACREN), Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and RDI Coordination. org
The minister said that the theme of the gathering, “Advancing Nigeria’s Global Competitiveness Through a Resilient National RDI Coordination,” was not just a statement but a clarion call.
Nnaji said that the government was poised to reshape the future of the country by unleashing potential through unified RDI coordination.
He said that the conference was a pathway to redefine and reposition Nigeria on the global map of innovation, science, and technology.
“In today’s rapidly evolving world, the pace of technological advancements is not just fast; it is exponential.
“Nations that have recognised and harnessed the power of research, development, and innovation are leading the charge towards economic prosperity, societal well-being, and sustainable development.
“It is time for Nigeria to take its rightful place among these nations,” he said.
According to him, to achieve this, we must first acknowledge that our RDI ecosystem requires robust coordination, one that is resilient, inclusive, and forward-thinking.
“Our goal is to create a system where academia, industry, government, and the community not only interact but thrive together, fostering an environment ripe for groundbreaking innovations.
“Our vision for Nigeria is to become a hub for African innovation, contributing significantly to the global knowledge economy,” he said.
According to him, this can be achieved by implementing a three-pronged approach which includes strengthening institutional frameworks, fostering public-private partnerships and investing in human capital.
Chief Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology( L) and Dr Mustapha Popoola, Global Impact lead, Research for Impact Knowledge Economy and Sustainable Development (RIKE SD) at the opening of the National Research, Development, and Innovation (NRDI) Coordination Summit on Monday in Abuja.
He said that it was imperative to build and strengthen the institutional frameworks necessary for effective RDI coordination.
“This includes policy reforms that incentivize research and development, protect intellectual properties, and facilitate the commercialization of research outcomes.”
While giving further explanation on fostering public-private partnerships, Nnaji said the collaboration between the public sector, private industry, and academic institutions was crucial.
“By fostering partnerships that leverage the strengths of each sector, we can accelerate the translation of research into market-ready solutions that address our most pressing challenges,” he said.
He said that investing in human capital was also crucial to the development of the nation.
“At the heart of any successful RDI ecosystem are the people. Investing in education and training to build a skilled workforce ready to navigate and lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is non-negotiable.
“We must nurture our young talents and provide them with the platforms to excel and innovate.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the journey to enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness through resilient RDI coordination is a collective endeavor,” he said.
According to him, it requires commitment, collaboration, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
“As we deliberate over the course of this summit, let us be guided by the principle that our unity in purpose and action is our most significant strength.”
Some participants at the opening of opening of the National Research, Development, and Innovation (NRDI) Coordination Summit, in Abuja on Monday
The Chief Strategy Officer, WACREN, Mr Omo Oaiya, said that the network focused on Pan-African initiatives to strengthen open science in Africa.
“As part of that, we are also working with countries in different events like this to drive cooperation and collaboration so that we can reap the benefits of such an endeavor.
“So, RIKE SD is our local facilitator here. But between both of us, we’ve been able to create a new impetus in the Nigerian RDI coordination space.
“The main goal of this activity is to bring the different RDI actors together to look at a way of co-creating a future that we can build on.
“We are trying to align this with the presidential priorities that have been announced and the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
Oaiya said the essence of the summit was to bring international connections to support activity within Nigeria to drive RDI forward.
The Global Impact lead, RIKE SD, Dr Mustapha Popoola, said the essence of the summit was to enhance RDI coordination.
According to him, RIKE SD is a Nigerian Non-For-Profit Organisation that has a Pan-African scope.
“We are the first research as a service organisation in Nigeria who is looking at taking research, development, innovation, outcomes and output from Nigeria to other African countries.
“For the first time we know that for us to have results based on the directive of Mr President, we should actually institutionalise the use of research and development outcomes in ministry agencies and departments.
“It is important for us to get coordinated and know what we can offer.
“We are using an approach, we call it pentagonal nexus whereby the government is going to be working alongside with the industry, academia.
And, at the same time we are focusing on the communities that are going to use those outcomes of research at community level,” he said.
The President-elect Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, said the summit was expected to look into the eight areas of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“It will bring out how research and development, and in particular science, technology and innovation research can be used to significantly impact those eight areas of Mr President.
“It is to bring up what are needed to be undertaken to boost the development of the country through programs that involve research, development and innovation, and also through policy making.
“It is very important for the MDAs to incorporate in their yearly programmes, aspects that will be boosted through the outputs of research, development and innovation activities,” Sambo said.
Some participants at the opening of opening of the National Research, Development, and Innovation (NRDI) Coordination Summit, in Abuja on Monday
Also speaking, Dr. Shabihul Hassan, Chairman Tech India Ltd, said that the whole concept of research, development and innovation was collaboration.
“We have been connecting, collaborating with intellectuals, with members of the public and private sector to see how we can foster growth in the agri-sector, in the health sector, in the power sector, in the infrastructure sector.
“The key is teamwork. This is teamwork within the country, outside the country, collaborating nationally, internationally, and collaborating between the public and private sectors.
“So the private sector sets the way, it sets the standard. The public sector competes. The public sector also becomes competent, equally competent. So it’s collaborative work.
“The purpose of conferences like this is to bring people together, especially intellectuals, people with knowledge, different backgrounds, and different countries. And that is the key to development,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng).
Prof. Jeffery Barminas, the Director-General, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), says the institute aims to blaze the trail in science technology innovation by 2025.
Barminas said this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, following NARICT’s emergence as 2nd position at the just-concluded 2024 Technology Expo.
NAN reports that NARICT is the nation’s chemical technology research institute, with a mandate to develop its abundant natural resources to useful industrial applications
According to Barminas, by the next EXPO 2025, NARICT will expectedly lead the pack in the provision of innovative projects to the nation.
“Researchers and support staff are poised to deliver excellently on the mandate of the institute.
“The institute was awarded the prize for the 2nd position at the Technology Expo based on its innovative research on adhesive production technology.
“The project harnesses natural rubber latex to produce adhesives for use in the leather, wood, paper, foam, footwear, upholstery, textiles industries and others.
“A huge amount of foreign exchange is spent yearly on the import of adhesives, according to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council,” he said.
The director-general said that from 2018, Nigeria had imported adhesives worth $13.291 million, accounting for 0.02 per cent of total imports.
Barminas commended efforts by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in organising the Expo.
He pledged to drive further innovative research and development to harness resources while creating opportunities, to pave the way for Nigeria’s growth and industrialisation.
According to him, such research focus will include the Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Project, Salt Utilisation Project and expansion of the Neem-Based Minero Organic Fertilizer Project to avail more farmers the product.
He explained that the Innovative Research Products and Projects would help to fast track the nation’s economy and create jobs, while harnessing resources. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
An indigenous engineering firm, Alfa Designs Nigeria Limited, has inaugurated Phoenix V Tomex S240 Industrial Computed Tomography Machine, the first of its kind in the country.
The Company’s Research Analyst, Mr Mubarak Abdul, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Abdul said as technology continues to advance and shape the cause of human innovations, the developed world has always taken the lead in the key areas of research and development while Africa still lags behind.
According to him, Industrial computed tomography machine is an equipment used to carry out a computer-aided tomographic process using X-ray radiation to produce three-dimensional internal and external representations of a scanned object.
He said that the benefits of using industrial CT Scanning include quality control for failure investigation and pre-production inspection; internal and external part inspection and quick and accurate resulting data.
Other functions according to him, include images that are easier to interpret than conventional radiographic data, cut costs; and improved product design.
“For inspecting and testing the internal and external structure and design of various complex parts and components without destructing or disassembling the product, Industrial CT systems are increasingly being used as they can help in determining the design, structure, and dimensions.
“With industrial CT scanning, manufacturers can look inside the products to identify issues pertaining to design and production discrepancies, ensure a lot of consistency, and provides highly accurate and detailed measurements of internal components.
“Apart from aerospace, automotive, and aviation applications, ICT can be used to inspect the inside of electronic equipment such as radios, and because of the extreme spatial resolution, some machines are capable of imaging the inside of cables that conduct electricity or optical fibers and computer chips,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, called on relevant government’s institutions to collaborate and harmonise the geoinformation or geographic information systems to reduce cost of governance and address national concerns.
Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, made the call at a four-day workshop aimed at reviewing and harmonising the National Geoinformation Policy and the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure (NGDI) Bill in Abuja.
The workshop was organised by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
Bagudu regretted that Nigerians were users of geospatial dataset generated by other foreign institutions, in spite having the capability to develop indigenous ones, which he blamed on lack of articulation by institutions of government.
“The fault is not a resource problem, but an articulation problem, organisations like Google did not start by mapping the world, they use what is there.
“Developing our own is about integration, innovation, ability to share resources, because most of the challenges identified can be solved by cooperation.
“The challenge to you as participants is to help articulate the NGDI, guide us so that we can quickly evolve.
“We need to adopt cooperation mechanism that will provide a platform where all those in geospatial information can work together and develop common standards,’’ Bagudu said.
He recalled the Federal Executive Council adopted to implement the Orasanye Report, which identified duplication of government agencies with overlapping functions.
Bagudu said that geospatial information could address insecurity problems, land border crisis, land disputes, food security, climate change, among others.
In his remarks, Chief Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), said that President Bola Tinubu’s vision on Renewed Hope would foster geospatial data and empower the nation’s growth, resilience, and prosperity.
Represented by Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, Technical Adviser to the minister, Nnaji said geospatial data was key to achieving the diverse areas stipulated in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Geospatial data is pivotal in realising these ambitious goals as it underpins all interventions within our geographical space.
“NGDI plays a crucial role in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda by providing a solid geospatial foundation for monitoring progress, facilitating, mapping and environmental monitoring.
“Additionally, the NGDI enhances response capabilities to marine incidents, supports space-based technologies, enables telemedicine for national health coverage, serve as a cornerstone for precision agriculture and water resource management.
“It fosters innovative geospatial applications that fuel economic growth,’’ the minister said.
Nnaji expressed optimism that the workshop would develop a revised policy framework and operational strategies to sustain the NGDI ecosystem.
He added that it would update the 2010 Geoinformation Policy for current relevance and revise the NGDI Bill for executive endorsement in 2024.
Dr Halilu Shaba, Director-General of NASRDA, described Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) as a digital platform for implementing a framework of integrated geospatial data, metadata, tools and users that are interactively connected.
According to Shaba, 80 per cent of governmental data has a locational basis and knowledge of location of an activity allows for linkages of similar tasks and projects.
He said that over the years, the agency had organised series of meetings and workshops to implement the 2010 National Geoinformation Policy and enact the NGDI bill, but results were minimal.
“The NGDI programme has the embedded inconsistencies in the production of geographic information resulting in different positional accuracies, coding and classification systems, different scaling, packaging, formatting system and projections.
“Geospatial data are not collected or automated to standards that will make the data useful in multiple applications, among others,’’ Shaba said.
According to him, the agency is opened to collaborations that will ensure the country reaps from developing its indigenous geospatial information database.
Dr Ganiyu Agbaje, pioneer National Coordinator of the NGDI, said that geospatial data infrastructure was the major key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Agbaje described NGDI as a very powerful planning tool that would significantly improve the quality, efficiency and technical development in the allocation of resources.’’
He added that there would be a strong justification, if the government invested in the collection and management of fundamental geospatial information as component of national information infrastructure.
According to him, it will ensure that geoinformation permeates every aspect of the society and readily available when needed.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 2003, NASRDA, organised a workshop on spatial data infrastructure to discuss the draft of the National Geoinformation Policy on NGDI. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have partnered to enhance processes related to the National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage.
This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Dr Reuben Muoka, NCC Director Public Affairs and Ayodele Babalola, Technical Adviser, Media, and Communications to NIMC on Sunday in Abuja.
According to the statement, in recent times, the NIN-SIM linkage exercise has become subject of national discourse, reflecting the critical importance of aligning SIM registrations with individuals’ unique national identification numbers.
“Recognising the significance of this initiative in enhancing security and improving service delivery, both NIMC and NCC are committed to improving processes and enhancing efficiency.
“NIMC and NCC will work closely to explore synergies and leverage each other’s expertise and resources in some key areas.”
While streamlining the NIN-SIM linkage process, the two agencies said they would collaborate to ensure a seamless experience for Nigerian telecommunication subscribers.
“This includes exploring innovative approaches to facilitate the swift verification and authentication of NINs during SIM registration and activation processes.
“Capacity building and public awareness: both agencies will collaborate on initiatives aimed at enhancing public awareness and understanding of the NIN-SIM linkage requirements.
“These include educational campaigns, training sessions for stakeholders, and the dissemination of accurate information to the public to encourage compliance with the linkage directives.
“Data Verification and Validation: NIMC will continue to extend its support to NCC by providing assistance in verifying National Identification Numbers (NINs) associated with SIM registrations.”
The agencies noted that telecommunication operators would validate submitted NINs to ensure accuracy and integrity of subscriber data, when leveraging NIMC’s robust database and authentication infrastructure.
On policy harmonisation and regulatory framework, they added that NIMC and NCC would collaborate on aligning policies and regulatory frameworks to facilitate the seamless integration of NIN-SIM linkage processes within the telecommunications ecosystem.
“This includes harmonising data protection and privacy regulations to safeguard the confidentiality and security of subscriber information.
“Both NIMC and NCC are committed to fostering a collaborative and transparent partnership that prioritises the interests of Nigerian citizens and promotes national development.
“By pooling our resources and expertise, we aim to overcome the challenges associated with the NIN-SIM linkage exercise and ensure its continued successful implementation.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab
X
Welcome to NAN
Need help? Choose an option below and let me be your assistant.
The agencies noted that telecommunication operators would validate submitted NINs to ensure accuracy and integrity of subscriber data, when leveraging NIMC’s robust database and authentication infrastructure.