Kehinde Akintola
The House of Representatives at the plenary, Tuesday passed through second reading a Bill which seeks to make mandatory the use of National Identity Number (NIN) during the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards by all mobile telecommunication network operators operating in Nigeria.
The private member bill sponsored by Hon. Sergius Ogun seeks to amend the National Identity Management Commission.
Leading the debate on its general principles, Hon. Ogun noted that though the Executive has already started the process of getting all users of mobile phones to link their SIM cards to their NIN, the bill seeks to give legislative backing and compel compliance by relevant stakeholders.
According to him, the bill is a legislative contribution to the ongoing fight against the increasing cases of criminality in the country orchestrated by bandits, terrorists, internet fraudsters and armed robbers, who take advantage of easy access to telecom networks.
By amending the NIMC Act to include registration of SIM cards with every subscriber’s NIN, the lawmaker said it becomes easy to uncover the identity behind various criminal activities being carried out in society.
He said, “National identity management system is critical to the development of any economy. It provides a universal identity infrastructure for a country to access and confirm the identities of individuals residing in its territory for economic planning, intelligence gathering and social development.
“All these will be difficult to achieve in the absence of a robust national identity management system. In recognition of the foregoing, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) was established in 2007, to create, manage, maintain and operate a unified National Identity Database for Nigeria.
“It is against this background that this bill is proposed, to include in the Act, a new paragraph requiring the use of National Identity Number in the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards by all mobile telecommunication network operators with the Identity Management Commission.
“Clause two of the Bill provides as follows: Section 27 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new paragraph (k) after the subsisting paragraph (j) as follows: “(k) Registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) card by all mobile telecommunication network operators.
“No one in our present-day society contests the fact that security has become a critical issue in our national life. This flows from the fact that Nigeria seems to have become a theatre of criminality, banditry, kidnapping and maiming of innocent citizens and yet the end seems not to be in sight. Therefore, there is a need for improved information and identity management.”
After the debate on the bill, it was referred to the relevant Standing Committees for further legislative action.
In the same vein, the House passed through second reading a bill which seeks to establish Federal Road Safety Commission Road Marshal Assistants Training as a National Diploma and National Certificate of Education Awarding Institution to provide Academic and Professional Training.
The private member bill was sponsored by Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin.
The lawmakers also introduced and passed through the first reading, the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2023, sponsored by Hon. Babajimi Benson, and four other bills including, the “Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, African Union Development Agency-new Partnership for Africa’s Development Bill, 2023, Carriage of Goods by land (Road and Rail) Bill, 2023, and Nigeria Shippers’ Council Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, all sponsored by Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos.
Meanwhile, the Speaker Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila set up a team to interface with their counterparts in the Senate to harmonize differences in the insurance bill recently passed by both chambers.
Members of the harmonization team include Hon. Darlington Nwokocha (Chairman), Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Wole Oke and others as members.
Also, the House received a report from the Committee on Public Accounts on a Bill for an Act to provide for the Establishment of an Independent Office of the Auditor General for Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory and provide for the Audit of Area Councils Public Accounts and Related Matters (HB.1782).
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