By Nafisat Makinde
The House of Representatives has authorised the Joint Committee on Communications and Interior on Thursday, February 7, 2025 to join hands and get to the root of illegally linking National Identification Numbers (NIN) to subscribers’ lines without their consent.
The motion for adoption was jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (Edo) of the All Progressives Congress.The House again asked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to launch an investigation and take urgent action against any telecoms service provider found to be involved.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is being asked to clarify whether it authorised telecom operators to link NINs to users’ lines, and whether this action complies with relevant laws and regulations.NewsAblaze reports that Patrick Umoh worried over people facing problems like damage to their reputation and legal troubles for something they know nothing about because of this NIN-linking issue.
The House recognises that the action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and protection of personal data of every Nigerian.
We are aware that the NIN was established to streamline the verification and identification of persons and enhance security in Nigeria.”Also aware that the potential risks launched an investigation into telecom service providers for illegally linking National Identification Numbers (NIN) to subscribers’ lines without their consent.
This move is in response to allegations that some providers have been linking NINs without proper authorisation, putting millions of Nigerians’ personal data at risk.
Further aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffer reputational damage, harassment and legal challenges for crimes they know nothing about.
The committee is expected to report back within four weeks, on March 6, 2025.
