General News
NIN-SIM Linkage: FG Gives Security Agencies Nod to Access Subscribers’ Details
Some security agencies have got an approval from the President Muhammadu Buhari, to access the database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) the course of carrying out their duties.
As a result, Isa Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said his office through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has conveyed the approval to the relevant security agencies.
He did not give the names of the security agencies. He, however, said the development would enhance security as it would help security operatives to go after kidnappers and other criminals.
According to Punch, Pantami disclosed this while speaking to Nigerian journalists on the sidelines of LEAP 22, a technology event, currently holding Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He said, “Some of the security institutions, based on the cybercrime law, are allowed to gain access to the database without coming to us because the database allows for lawful intercept. That lawful intercept was allowed in order to support our security agencies.
“Mr. President has given an approved for them to do it, without even our intervention. So, with that approval, the NCC has conveyed that through my office to all the relevant institutions that the President has granted an approval for that.
“So, with it, they can gain access into the database even without our permission, and they have never complained to me, even for once. The only person that wrote a letter to me is the Minister of Defence, asking that we should try to finish the NIN-SIM policy on time.”
The NIMC currently house the data of the over 73 million Nigerians who have linked their National Identity Number with their SIM.
The minister, however, said the NIMC was still struggling with infrastructure, salary and welfare challenges, among others.
He added that the government was struggling to pay salaries and implement measures to help the commission complete its job.
Pantami said, “If you look at the circumstances, NIMC is doing very well. Before my coming, what NIMC captured was just about 40 million, but now over 73 million have been done. We have achieved over 30 million within one year, while 40 million was achieved from 2007 to 2020.
“Secondly, about NIN-SIM registration, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the NIMC are not security institutions. We are a sector for economic development but we came up with the policy, because the priority of the government is security and it is a constitutional obligation of any government. It is in the 1999 Constitution as amended, Section 14 Subsection 2, Article B, it is our responsibility.”
The PUNCH had reported on January 12, 2022 that no fewer than 64 people were kidnapped between January 1 and 7, 2022.
According to StatiSense, a Nigerian data consulting firm, about 5,287 kidnapping cases were recorded in Nigeria in 2021.
The minister, however, lamented that despite possessing a total of 73 million NINs, no security agency contacted the NCC to provide any information that might help in tracking down kidnappers in the last six months.
President Buhari had during the launch of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in Nigerian Telecoms Sector and Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Cards registration said, “The NIN will cover one of the weaknesses in our security structure. We will be able to easily identify and know the personality of Nigerians. We will identify people easily, including the crooks.”
The Federal Government had in 2020 mandated the NIN-SIM linkage for every telecom subscriber.
Pantami said, “I was in the Federal Executive Council media team presentation last week and these same questions were also asked.
“I said to them, this is what we have been doing for security and the EVC/CEO of the NCC was next to me, just like now, and I asked him if there was any time that any security institutions contacted the NCC to provide details of anyone of which he failed; he said ‘no’. He said it had never happened since I became a minister.
“Secondly, in the last six months, did they ever contact you to provide any information of which you failed to do so? He said ‘no’. So, in the last six months, no one contacted us.”
Pantami, however, stressed that some security agencies recently got approvals from the President, Buhari, to bypass the NCC and the ministry, and access the database directly.
He explained that such ‘lawful intercept’ was allowed in order to support the security agencies.
Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for expanding access to technology-driven skills with the inauguration of a Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri.
L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi; First Lady of Imo State, Barr. Chioma Uzodimma; Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma; EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu and other dignitaries during the commissioning of the NASENI Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri North LGA, Imo State yesterday.
The governor described the initiative as a strategic investment in youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and economic development.
The centre, established under the NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) in partnership with the Senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi, is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and industry-relevant skills.
Speaking at the inauguration, Uzodimma said technology remained central to Nigeria’s economic growth and lauded NASENI for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through initiatives that empower citizens.
He said the project would provide young people with practical skills needed to build sustainable livelihoods.
“This is not about giving people fish; it is about teaching them how to fish,” the governor said.
Uzodimma urged that beneficiaries of the programme be supported with start-up capital to enable them establish businesses and create employment opportunities for others.
He also commended NASENI for its continued developmental interventions in Imo and called on the host community and relevant stakeholders to protect the facility.
Responding, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, described the centre as another demonstration of the agency’s commitment to developing the human capital required to drive Nigeria’s industrialisation.
According to Halilu, the centre reflects NASENI’s conviction that industrial development begins with investing in people and equipping them with practical skills.
“The commissioning of this centre is not merely the opening of another facility. It is the opening of opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire practical skills that solve real problems, create businesses and generate employment.
“At NASENI, we believe our greatest investment is in the talent of our people,” he said.
Halilu said the centre would offer training in high-demand areas, including solar installation and maintenance, graphic design and printing, phone repair, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as other vocational and technology-based disciplines.
He explained that the project aligned with NASENI’s strategic focus on creation, collaboration and commercialisation, aimed at strengthening innovation, expanding local capacity and reducing dependence on imported technologies.
The NASENI boss commended Onyewuchi for partnering with the agency to deliver the project.
Onyewuchi said the centre was established to address youth unemployment through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
He disclosed that beneficiaries would receive support to establish small businesses after completing their training, enabling them to become employers of labour.
The lawmaker said the initiative would contribute to economic growth by empowering young Nigerians with skills relevant to today’s economy.
The commissioning of the centre, according to NASENI, reinforces the agency’s commitment to equipping Nigerians with practical skills, fostering innovation and building the workforce required for Nigeria’s industrial and economic development.
Federal government has launched Credit for Laptops, Internet, Connectivity and Knowledge Digital Devices (C.L.I.C.K.D.), a new consumer credit initiative, to provide affordable financing for locally assembled laptops and other digital devices.
L-R: Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, and Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, at the launch
The initiative by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is aimed at equipping Nigerians with the tools needed to participate in the country’s growing digital economy.
During the launch, Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, described access to credit as critical to improving productivity and driving economic growth.
Dr Tijani said no nation could achieve sustainable development without a strong credit system that enables individuals and businesses to access resources needed to become more productive.
He noted that in today’s digital age, technology has become indispensable for education, innovation and wealth creation.
The minister explained that many talented young Nigerians possess the skills required to succeed in the digital economy but remain constrained by their inability to own computers and other digital tools.
Drawing from his personal experience, Dr Tijani recalled how his first laptop as a student in the university opened doors to international opportunities and eventually inspired him to establish one of Nigeria’s pioneering technology hubs.
He said the new programme would ensure that more young Nigerians are not denied similar opportunities because of financial barriers.
According to him, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by expanding access to technology, boosting productivity and supporting local manufacturing.
Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future workforce and digital transformation.
Mr Nwagba said that while improvements in internet connectivity and digital skills training have positioned Nigeria for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, access to devices remains a major challenge preventing many young people from fully participating in the digital economy.
He explained that C.L.I.C.K.D. would bridge that gap by providing affordable consumer credit that enables beneficiaries to acquire laptops and other internet-enabled devices while they develop in-demand digital skills
Federal Government has announced the disbursement of about N333 billion to eight electricity generation companies (GenCos) as part of measures to resolve outstanding debts in the power sector.
The government also disclosed the issuance of a second bond valued at N729 billion to settle verified legacy obligations and improve liquidity within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The disclosures were made on Tuesday at an investors’ forum organised by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc in Abuja.
Government representatives said the latest bond issuance marked the completion of the initial phase of the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, which was designed to address verified liabilities and attract private sector investment across the electricity value chain.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs Olu Verheijen, said the implementation of the first series of the programme demonstrated the administration’s commitment to meeting its financial obligations and improving investor confidence.
Verheijen disclosed that the Federal Government in February 2026 allocated about N501 billion under the first tranche of the programme, comprising N300 billion in cash and N201 billion in non-cash bond instruments to offset verified debts owed to power producers.
She said N333 billion had so far been disbursed to eight participating GenCos operating 17 power plants.
According to her, the government also paid the first coupon of about N63.5 billion on the seven-year bond in full on July 14, 2026.
She explained that the payments had enabled generation companies to meet critical obligations to gas suppliers, lenders and operations and maintenance contractors, thereby improving their operational capacity.
“Markets do not reward promises; they reward performance. Capital follows credibility,” Verheijen said.
She added that the second bond series would further strengthen liquidity in the electricity market and create a more stable financial environment capable of attracting long-term private investment.
The Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme is part of broader Federal Government efforts to address challenges affecting electricity generation, distribution and investment in Nigeria’s power sector.
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