I have read or heard of how some people used one person’s National Identity Number (NIN) to register or verify SIM cards for other persons. And I can’t help but wonder how this could be allowed!
Many things have happened or been happening in Nigeria in the past few years that just make you be like, “What the heck!” Examples include the arrest of kidnapping terrorists’ negotiator in Egypt after he managed to leave the country somehow and the Abuja jailbreak. What a country.
Inept agencies
Back to the NIN issue. Does it mean that NCC and NIMC can’t be bothered about how the sensitive NINs of Nigerians are used or misused in the name of SIM verification or other purposes?
I mean an individual provides personal data and have their picture taken as well when registering a new SIM card (or should). Yet, they are simply allowed to link just about any other person’s NIN to their phone number without any verification!
To think that I had to wait for weeks or even months for my NIN-SIM linking to be confirmed. To what end? This country is just unbelievable!
Passing the bulk
Now, NIMC will tell you to protect your NIN from people that could use them dubiously for SIM verification or for other criminal purposes. How? This information is not even 100% safe or private at banks where people often use their NIN slips for Know Your Customer (KYC) purposes, let alone in other places.
What’s even more annoying is that these government agencies don’t provide a valid means to know what phone numbers are linked to a person’s NIN nor does it allow unrecognised numbers to be unlinked. At least, I don’t know of these being possible.
This means another person could have your NIN linked to their phone numbers without you being able to know or do something about it. Scary.
Nigeria is just frustrating. Why won’t people take big risks to get out of this mess? Things just don’t work as they should around here. Shame on those at the helm of affairs and all the people that are bent on not allowing this country to work.
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