Insecurity: Minister Orders Use Of National Databases By Security Agencies

Isa Pantami, the minister of communications and the digital economy has urged security organisations to use databases maintained by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to handle security issues.

Pantami made this statement at the fourth National Identity Day event in Abuja, which had the topic "Traditional Institutions as Critical Stakeholders for Citizens Mobilization."

The Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) and the National Identification Number (NIN), he claimed, could both be used to address the nation's present security issues.

“We are pleading with security institutions to make use of the database.

“It is not our work to do the security work, our own is to support them with these two databases available, NIN and SIM.

"From the information at my disposal, the CEOs of these institutions, the utilisation has been highly insignificant.

"It is because of this we are pleading if they can leverage on this, we have no doubt they will be able to address the security situation confronting us in this country,” Pantami said.

He also said the challenges of education, health, security and many more would be addressed with complete databases in the country in partnership with National Population Commission (NPC).

"Proper databases will guide us as a country to know the age bracket of the population under and below 60 years, male, female, those living in the rural and urban areas.

"From the databases, we can plan easily, database is the foundation of getting our education, medical system, food security and security right in the country, Pantami said.

He asserted that traditional leaders and other institutions in our nation have important roles to play in mediating, encouraging, mobilising, and rallying our people to accept enrollment to obtain their NIN in rural, semi-urban, and even metropolitan places.

However, Pantami urged the populace to embrace enrollment so that the remaining population that had not yet been enlisted is completely covered, noting that this may be done in the upcoming 24 months.

Aliyu Aziz, the NIMC's director general, announced that the Commission would work with traditional institutions and leaders across the country to promote NIN registration and use.

“We want to use this opportunity and platform to appeal for the active participation of the traditional institutions in drumming up support for government programmes and in this case, the National Identification project.

"Identification is a tool for empowerment and greater use of digital ID can help bring the much-needed governance and coordination in development and service delivery.

“NIMC had made great strides on so many fronts in the last three years.

“From just over 1,000 enrolment centres and 2,000 enrolment devices across the country,” he said.

According to Aziz, NIMC has more than 15,000 enrollment centres and more than 29,000 enrollment devices distributed around the country in collaboration with its licenced enrolment partners.

According to him, the commission currently has diaspora enrollment centres in more than 40 nations, and further centres and nations are expected to be added in the upcoming months.

“The more government knows the accurate number of its population and the right demographics, the better the government is placed to plan well for infrastructure, social welfare, and economic development for the country.

"This, therefore, underscores the importance of identity, and directly links to the importance of today’s commemoration of the Nigerian National Identity,” Aziz said.