Federal government has said the current ban on registration of new subscriber identification module, commonly known as SIM, to Nigerians will stay in place for a while longer.
Dr Isa Ali Pantami, minister of Communication and Digital Economy, disclosed this to State House Correspondents during the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the Federal Government took the decision with the intent to protect Nigerians and make the country safe from insecurity.
According to him, when it comes to addressing the issue of security, the economy takes back stage, insisting that SIM registration carried out in the past compromised the system.
“The ban on new SIMs remains in place for security reasons. We know this ban is painful, but very necessary.
“In the past, SIM registration processes were compromised, most of the SIMs were improperly registered, hence we have most of the SIMs used to commit crimes in the country.
“So what we are doing now is matching all the SIM cards with NIN. This has become necessary for security purposes.
“The ban may affect our economy, but when addressing the issue of security, the economy takes back stage.
“People used the biometrics of one person to register about 100 SIMs, after people are given money, this is even as some SIMs were improperly registered.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions taken as a minister. It is a very painful decision, but we had to take it,” he said.
He said about 189 million SIMs have been registered in the country, explaining that 150 million, out of this number, are completed registration while the remainder have problems of improper registration.
