Juwah restates security need for SIM card registration

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, at the weekend, restated the security essence of the ongoing SIM Card registration across the country and the determination of the Commission to conclude the exercise within six months to assist security agencies to curb mobile phone related crimes.

Dr. Juwah stated this while receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Maitama Branch, Abuja, led by its Chairman, Engr. Paulinus Ogu, and also announced that the Commission now has over 2,000 SIM Registration centres across the country, in addition to those of the telecom operators.

While indicating that the Commission is currently doing registration alongside telecom operators, Dr. Juwah said those who are already registered with the telecom operators need not register with the NCC registration centres. SIM registration in Nigeria will end on September 28, 2011.

“The story is that the government is intent on knowing who owns mobile phones and they have mandated us to lead this operation together with the operators so there is no duplication”, indicating that perhaps why it is easier to register with the NCC centres is because of the fact that you can register all your phones in one location as the Commission registers across all networks.

He said by the initial arrangements, the operators were to register only the new subscribers from May 1, 2010 while the Commission was to register only existing subscribers. He said with the urge by the operators, who already have the equipment, to know their subscribers, to utilize this equipment; they began to register both new and old subscribers.

“There were about 80million SIM cards that were not registered and the government has given us six months to jointly conclude the registration of these numbers as this will enable us conclude the registration within this time frame”, he said.

“We (NCC) do not register new subscribers but if you have registered before with your operator, you don’t have to register again. It is the same data base so we are trying to cover the balance that the operators haven’t registered and we are doing this together with the operators”, he said.

The NCC boss said the Commission has mobilized and are in the six geographical zones of Nigerian including Abuja and Lagos. “We have mobilized and established more than 2000 NCC registration centres across Nigeria while the operators are carrying out their own. So that is the real story and it was a very controversial issue at the National Assembly but anybody who knows the real story knows that this is an important national security issue and the government recognizes it as such”, he said.

On a general note, Dr. Juwah invited Nigerian engineers to assist in resolving the power supply need of the telecommunications industry.