Category: Information Technology - Page 5

Plans Underway to Replace BVN with NIN – FG

9Feb

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Plans Underway to Replace BVN with NIN – FG

Dr Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has said the Federal Government plans to phaseout Bank Verification Numbers, NIN, and replace it with National Identity Numbers. Pantami disclosed this while interacting with reporters after taking a tour and inspecting the ongoing NIN enrolment exercise at NIMC and other designated centres in Abuja. The minister stated that he had presented it to the National Economic Sustainability Committee and drew the attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor on the need to replace BVN with NIN. He said the BVN is a regulator’s policy, while NIN is a law. He said, “The strength of the law wherever you go is not the same with a policy of one institution.’’ According to the minister, the BVN was only applicable t...

Cryptocurrencies Ban will Boost Anti-Money Laundering Compliance – ABCON

8Feb

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Economy, Finance, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Cryptocurrencies Ban will Boost Anti-Money Laundering Compliance – ABCON

The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria, ABCON, has backed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s order directing banks to close all accounts belonging to cryptocurrency traders. This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday titled, ‘ABCON backs CBN’s cryptocurrency trading ban for stronger anti-money laundering compliance’. According to Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, ABCON President, the regulator acted fast to curtail an emerging dangerous trend capable of eroding Nigeria’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing gains. He said that before placing a ban on financial dealings that did not conform with the norm, the regulator must have got a financial intelligence on such operations, as seen in kidnappers now collecting bitcoin for ransom. Gwadabe stated tha...

6Feb

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, Interview, Nigeria

MTN Expands NIN Enrolment Capabilities

MTN Nigeria has disclosed that it is exponentially increasing capacity to provide National Identity Number enrolment services across its customer interaction touch points pan-Nigeria, rural locations inclusive. The telco in a statement issued on Thursday said it had deployed an onsite appointment booking system designed to limit indoor crowding, alongside standard COVID-19 safety protocols at its service centres, adding that it planned to launch an online version shortly. The company said this was to further support the Federal Government and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s efforts to drive the NIN registration. According to MTN, a reliable and sustainable national identity management system would deliver multiple benefits to the telecoms industry and the coun...

99% of Citizens Data Insured, Protected Says FG

29Jan

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

99% of Citizens Data Insured, Protected Says FG

The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that at least 99 per cent of citizens data was protected and insured, urging Nigerians not to worry about the privacy of their data. The assurance was given by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, during the virtual National Privacy Week conference organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, as part of programmes to mark the World Privacy Day. Suspected hackers interrupted the data privacy forum, as disruptive voices were heard for some minutes during the event, Punch reports. The disruptions caused the moderator to keep apologising for the hitches, while some participants expressed surprise at the development, which was, however, addressed by the organisers. Addressing the ...

27Jan

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Telcos Licensed to Provide NIN – NIMC

The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, has licensed telecommunication companies to register people seeking to obtain National Identity Numbers so as to decongest the crowds at the offices of NIMC across the country. Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz who disclosed this said some other private and public organisations had also been given operational license by the commission to provide NINs to make the enrolment seamless. This follows reports on Tuesday that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had set up a committee to address the demands of NIMC workers. NIMC workers had declared strike on January 7, 2021 in protest against poor welfare issues for employees of the commission, but their strike was suspended after the intervention of the mi...

FG Grants Plateau Govt NIN registration Licence

24Jan

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Corruption, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

FG Grants Plateau Govt NIN registration Licence

The Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has said he has secured a registration licence for the State Government to commence the enrollment of National Identity Number, NIN, for residents of the state to alleviate the suffering occasioned by few enrolment centres. This was contained in a statement on Sunday by the governor’s director of Press and Public Affairs, Macham Makut, who said the licence granted by the Federal Government is for one year and it is subject to renewal upon satisfactory performance during the period. He said the approval which was conveyed to the Governor by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy through the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Aliyu Aziz, indicates that the Plateau State Government can now participate in ...

21 Million Subscribers Yet to Obtain NIN – Telcos

21Jan

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

21 Million Subscribers Yet to Obtain NIN – Telcos

Telecommunications operators on Wednesday said at least 143 million Subscriber Identification Modules, SIM, are currently identifiable to the National Identity Management Commission for registration with their respective National Identity Numbers. Telecommunication operators also said that the number of subscribers without NINs was about 21 million, as the deadline for the registration of SIMs with valid NINs draws near. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, while speaking on behalf of the mobile operators said that the number of NINs submitted by the telecoms sector to NIMC was for about 143 million SIMs. The Nigerian Communications Commission had announced on Tuesday that so far a total of 47.8 million NINs had been collected ...

20Jan

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Breaking News, Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

FG Extends Deadline for NIN

The Federal Government has extended the deadline for millions of Nigerians unable to link their National Identity numbers (NINs) with Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to February 9. The initial deadline expired on January 19. The mobile network operators (MNOs) said the Federal Government granted a further extension of the deadline to February 9 to allow subscribers yet to sync their SIMs with their NINs to do so. They also promised to start enrolling citizens to National Identity Database (NIDB) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ease the frustration, desperation and extortion of people by desiring to get enrolled and get their NINs by unscrupulous elements. The MNOs, acting under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators ...

43 Million NINs Awaiting NIMC Verification

19Jan

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

43 Million NINs Awaiting NIMC Verification

Telecommunication companies in Nigeria have forwarded at least 43 million National Identity Numbers, NINs, to the National Identity Management Commission for verification in order to have them linked with their respective Subscriber Identification Modules, SIMs. Despite the duration of time given for telephone subscribers with NINs to link it with their SIMs elapsing today (January 19, 2021), service providers have said that SIMs with unlinked submitted NINs would not be blocked. Reports say bout 45 million NINs have been provided by the NIMC, as it was able to register about two million people in the last one month after the Federal Government ordered citizens to register their SIMs with valid NINs, Punch reports. African News Today had on December 15, 2020, that the Federal Gove...

Ekiti Govt. Includes N550m Budget For drones Used To Fight Kidnapping, Banditry

18Jan

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, Crime, Economy, Finance, Information Technology, News, Nigeria, Terrorism, Violence

Ekiti Govt. Includes N550m Budget For drones Used To Fight Kidnapping, Banditry

Ekiti State Government has said efforts are on to procure sophisticated drones as part of efforts to boost surveillance, expose criminal hideouts and combat insecurity. Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning Mr. Femi Ajayi disclosed this at the weekend during the breakdown of the 2021 Appropriation Law with a budgetary provision of N109.666 billion. He said the government projected N550 million to purchase the drones as part of plans to tackle armed robbery, banditry and kidnapping. Ajayi added that N1.4 billion has been set aside to fund the Ekiti State Security Network code-named ‘Amotekun Corps’ for the security outfit to live up to its responsibility. He said the government budgeted N8billion for social services, covering education, health, gender empowerment, social...