The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has officially addressed the controversy surrounding the alleged sale of his National Identification Number (NIN) slip for N100 on a now-defunct website.
In his initial response, Tijani stated that he has contacted the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, regarding the issue.
He assured the public that both the Ministry of Interior and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are actively addressing the situation.
“I have engaged my colleague, the Minister of Interior, who supervises the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and I am aware that his ministry and the agency are on top of the matter,” Tijani shared on Wednesday in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
It is noteworthy that the NIMC, previously under Tijani’s Ministry’s supervision, was transferred to the Ministry of Interior in September of the previous year.
While the Minister did not directly confirm or deny the allegations made by Paradigm Initiative, a civil society organisation that discovered websites selling Nigerians’ data, he mentioned that the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), under his Ministry, has commenced a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances of the alleged breach.
Tijani also underscored the importance of establishing a structured Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and enhancing Data Exchange across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to bolster Nigeria’s cybersecurity oversight.
He highlighted the proactive measures he has implemented since his appointment to improve the application of technology within the government.
“Having established that, I do believe that it is important to share the proactive steps I have taken upon appointment to help strengthen technology application in government, despite the historically siloed approach to procurement and development.
“For context, in October 2023, a few weeks after my appointment, I released a whitepaper elucidating my position on technology application within the public service and our proposed approach to leveraging existing investment in technology to accelerate economic prosperity through improved government processes,” Tijani explained.
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