Telecom operators have been instructed by the industry regulator, Nigeria Communications Commission to (NCC) to deactivate any Subscriber Identity module (SIM) card that was registered but unused after 48 hours.
NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, who disclosed this recently in an event organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations said the ongoing SIM card registration by the telecom operators has abridged criminal activities committed through the use of mobile phones.
Speaking on “Trackable Identity and Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria” Ojobo said trackable identity has become indispensable to ease of doing business in Nigeria.
He explained that despite the problems, what is acceptable of all citizens is to get registered so as to be covered with a legal identity including birth registrations.
“Citizen registration is now an item in post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda with 2.4 billion people identified as having no official identity and these people reside in Africa and Asia.
“While traditional identification rely on passwords, PINs, smart cards, and the likes, biometric identification, using finger prints and iris scans are generally more reliable and secure. They are adopted more universally like in driving licenses and international passports.
“Biometrics identities are also more reliable in linking individuals to event and actions. It is therefore preferred by security institutions in fighting crimes.”
