The Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Pantami has announced that the number of SIM cards with incomplete registration in Nigeria has dropped from 9.2 million to 2.4 million in less than 10 days.
Dr Pantami who disclosed this while inaugurating some members of the Board of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), mandated the NCC to ensure that before 25th September this year, that the remaining 2.4 million SIM cards with incomplete registration should be rectified.
Dr Pantani while decrying the rate at which SIM cards were used to commit crimes, said when these numbers are rectified, any crime which is committed with SIM cards could be traced to the owner of the SIM.
“Last week, we officially contacted the Management of NCC to give us the details of the baseline performance on their briefing here, and I emphasized on the issue of pre-registered, unregistered or incomplete registration of sim, the statistics were really alarming and worrisome. What was sent in last week was 9.2 million with improper registration.
“I was really flabbergasted and worried because investigations revealed that 99 per cent of crime being committed in Nigeria, SIM cards are involved. Before you think of any Economic benefit, the constitutional responsibility of the executive is to protect lives and property, so the life of one innocent Nigerian is more important than any revenue Federal Government may get as a result of ignoring that improper documentation of registration because you can’t think of any benefit except when you are alive.
“I am glad to say that we also wrote another letter to the Management of NCC, and they replied today, within this period of time, we were able to reduce the number significantly, within this period, they were able to rectify at least 6,775,000 incomplete registration, so the total number of incomplete registration is 2.42 million. So the reduction within this period is 73.61 per cent, this is a significant achievement from 9.2 million, now it’s back to 2.4 million, this is commendable”, the Minister said.
He, however, solicit the support of the Board of NCC to in fighting terrorism with ICT and support the Commission to ensure that the remaining 2.4 million unregistered SIMS were rectified before 25th September this year.
“The next line of directives with the support of the Board, we want to make sure that by 25th of September 2019, based on the report I received today, we don’t want to have a single incomplete registration of SIM in Nigeria.
“By 25th September 2019, we don’t want to have single incomplete registration, so the remaining 2.4 million should be rectified by 25th September 2019. In that direction, we want the Management to immediately inform the telecoms, after 25th of September when a crime is committed, and sim is being used, we only need the number of the SIM and convey it to the regulator, within an hour, we want to get the details of the person that committed the crime, even if that cannot stop people from committing crime, what we just want is the identity of the person that committed the crime, if we can do that, I think a lot can be achieved”, he noted.