By Lawal Adenike
Nigeria’s Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has said the linkage of the National Identification Number (NIN) with digital devices of Nigerians as mandated by the Federal Government is to monitor their activities online.
The minister made this statement at the International Partnership Forum in Paris, France, on Thursday.
According to him, Nigeria was joining its foreign counterpart to mandate NIN for all legal residents, which will be used to reveal identities of everyone who logs unto the internet.
The minister explained that NIN will form a crucial part of Nigeria’s security structure enabling the government to reveal true identity of Citizens through their online activities.
He said, “Some of these initiatives that happen to be the foundation of even our economy is the introduction of the national identification number. Nigeria has joined the global community by making the use of national identification numbers for both citizens and legal residents mandatory.
“This is going to be the foundation of our economy and also the foundation of our security that whoever happens to go online, his identity will be known by the federal government and also by our security institution.”
Pantami assured prospective investors of digital safety, adding that more than 67 million persons have already enrolled for the security initiative.
“As it is today, the enrollment has been over 67 million and most importantly we are able to capture the most important category of people that come out to do businesses.”
The minister further explained that Nigerians who did not enroll for NIN will no longer be able to enjoy government services.
“So it becomes a prerequisite to enjoying government services and I believe this will bring more peace of mind to potential investors to know that the government has been doing something significant in that regard,” he added.
