The Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria has berated the Federal Government of Nigeria for putting the lives of millions of Nigerians at least over the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) registration.
ATCIS noted that the time frame with which the exercise is being projected to be undertaken has jettisoned careful consideration of the dangers posed by the Second Wave of the coronavirus pandemic which is currently ravaging the country.
The concern of the association becomes imperative in the light of growing cases of Coronavirus pandemic in the country and the sad loss of lives recorded on daily basis to the disease.
The Association of Telephone, Cable TV & Internet Subscribers (ATCIS) has again challenged Nigeria authorities for exposing Nigerians to the risk of losing their lives all in the name of getting National Identity Number and linking same to their SIM cards.
In a statement signed by the association’s National President, Prince Sina Bilesanmi, ATCIS noted that the insistence of the government on April 6, 2021, a new deadline for the full linkage of NINs to the over 208 million active telephone subscribers in the country as at the year 2020 has led to human deluge at various NIN registration centres in the country. Since the government has made an irrational decision to disconnect all telephone Subscribers without NIN on the stipulated deadline, ATCIS has observed from its visitations to different state centres of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) that the centres have become a breeding ground to COVID-19.
Bilesanmi advised Telecom’s regulatory bodies to reconsider their position on the exercise and work out a plan that aligns with the situation on the ground.
He said, “We find it rather absurd for the government to insist on ‘NINing’ of all subscribers within such an unrealistic deadline, given that NIMC had only managed to issue about 43 million NINs even with its about 14-year hard work. Does the Minister really want Subscribers to sacrifice their lives to retain their telephone lines? We wonder”!
“ATCIS-NIGERIA urges the government to stop exposing Nigerian Subscribers to what could trigger a disaster beyond the control of the authorities by relaxing the deadline and extending it by another six months. My Fellow Subscribers, as your National President of ATCIS, pls I urge 106.2 million Subscriber Members yet to be linked to submit their NINs before April 6, 2021 deadline.” Bilesanmi wrote.