President Bola Tinubu has set up an inter-ministerial committee to investigate allegations of telecom providers linking National Identification Numbers to subscribers’ lines without their consent.
Impeccable sources in the Presidency told our correspondent that Tinubu gave the directive on Tuesday during the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja.
The committee has the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani and the Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda.
Tinubu, who listened to a briefing by the Minister of Interior, directed that the committee consider the matter and provide the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction with accurate data to carry out its mandate.
One source privy to the deliberations at Tuesday’s FEC meeting revealed, “It is an inter-ministerial committee; the President asked the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Minister of [Communications, Innovation and] Digital Economy and that of Education, too, to figure out what is going on and deal with the issue.
“The National Security Adviser is also on that committee. The interior minister is there because, you know, NIMC is under the interior.”
Another source, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “It is true; the President set up a small committee to take care of the challenge of the NIN-SIM linkage. The one involving Telcos. He wants that issue resolved as soon as possible.”
However, it was unclear what timeline the President gave the committee to investigate the matter and revert to him.
Reports reveal that some telecommunications providers linked customers’ National Identification Numbers to their mobile SIM cards without obtaining consent.
Subscribers discovered that their lines had been linked to unfamiliar NIN records or had their own NIN associated with multiple lines without explicit authorisation.
