Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, has explained why cases of kidnapping persist in Nigeria despite efforts by the government, claiming that the National Identity Number (NIN) database was compromised after his tenure in office.
Pantami made this assertion recently while answering questions on the NIN-SIM linkage and factors contributing to insecurity at the Young Professionals Colloquium in Katsina State.
According to him, although the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, Section 26, mandates that all citizens must obtain a national identity for various reasons beyond security, such as education and healthcare, his focus was to ensure the database supported security institutions.
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Pantami revealed that he personally pushed for the development of the NIN and SIM National Policy, which mandated the linking of SIM cards to the national identity database. This policy, he said, was introduced to curb criminal activities, particularly kidnapping.
However, he expressed concern over the compromise of the database after his administration left office, attributing it to the recent changes in government.
He maintained that during his tenure, millions of SIM cards were linked to the national identity database without exception, but the system’s integrity was compromised after he stepped down as Minister of Communications.
He said, “We achieved over 100 million citizens in our National Database through national identity, which is a major achievement. The NIMC Act, Section 26, it is clearly mentioned that obtaining a national identity is obligatory for every citizen. Whether it supports security or not, its importance extends beyond security to education, health, and whatever we do as a country, we need a National Database and national identity.
“However, my priority when I launched that was to support our security institutions, because our constitution makes security and welfare the two most essential responsibilities of the government. As stated in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), Section 14, Subsection 2(b), the security and welfare of the citizens are the primary purposes of government.
“So, we introduced that in order to support our security institutions, even though that was not among the priorities initially given to me. I was given eight priorities, but I personally pushed myself to increase enrollment and come up with NIN and SIM National Policy purposely to support our security institutions.
“Secondly, we sanitised the database. Up until the time we left office, based on the available records presented to me, there was not a single name with SIM without linking to a database of national identity but sometimes when there is a change of government, people use the opportunity to compromise. That’s what brought about the new date not because it was inherited but because it was compromised when we left
“Furthermore, the reason we insisted on this while in office is that if your NIN is linked to your SIM, it will guide us to know your identity in person. However, criminals when they kidnap innocent citizens, they use the telephone number to make calls and negotiate for ransom, in that regard, the identity will not be useful because the identity of the kidnapped is the one that will appear on the database.
“However, with the new modern gadgets and facilities we deployed in 2022, and even some in early 2023, there is no phone call in Nigeria that will come through our telecommunication network without tracing the location of the caller. Even if the identity of the caller is unknown because they are using the SIM of the kidnapped, definitely the location is known.”