The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has successfully concluded the federal government's initiative to link all phone numbers in the country to the National Identification Number (NIN), marking a significant milestone in the nation's telecommunications sector.

Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, announced the completion of the NIN-SIM linkage policy on Thursday during the 2024 Annual Corporate Governance Conference held in Lagos.

Reflecting on the challenges faced during the process, Maida acknowledged the difficulties Nigerians encountered but highlighted the importance of the initiative.

“We have recently concluded the implementation of the federal government’s 2020 policy of linking every phone number to a NIN,” Maida said. “Though it was a bit painful for Nigerians, I think we also need to appreciate what that does for us. Today, there is no phone number that we cannot associate with a verified NIN.”

He emphasized that this linkage now allows for greater accountability, particularly in identifying individuals involved in criminal activities.

“If this phone number is involved in fraud or any crime, I can now authoritatively say, based on the NIN linked to it, this is the person who is using that phone number,” he added.

The NIN-SIM linkage policy, introduced in December 2020, aimed to improve security and enhance national data management by requiring all phone numbers to be connected to a verified NIN. Although the NCC initially faced difficulties in enforcing the policy and extended deadlines to facilitate compliance, the completion of the process represents a significant step toward improving digital security in Nigeria.