Financial Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has encouraged President Muhammadu Buhari to "train the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Pantami, and Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) Mr Aliyu Abubakar to stop the push for enrollment of Nigerians for National Identity Number (NIN), and pull out the danger to hinder SIM cards, as the information being looked for as of now exist in a few stages, including the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), driver's permit, global identification, and citizens' card."
The association likewise asked him "to educate Mr Pantami and Mr Abubakar to take solid measures to instantly guarantee that the NIMC can steadfastly and successfully release its legal capacities to orchestrate and coordinate existing distinguishing proof data sets in government offices into the National Identity Database, and to utilize the data to refresh SIM card enlistment."
The Federal Government had undermined that SIM cards not connected to NIN by 30 December, 2020 would be impeded, and that telecom specialist organizations that neglected to obstruct telephone numbers without NIN would have their working licenses removed.
However, SERAP in a letter dated 19 December, 2020 and endorsed by its delegate chief Kolawole Oluwadare stated: "No administration has the privilege to strip its own kin of their essential rights under the pretense of enlistment for public personality number. In the event that the specialists proceed down this way, the dangers to residents' privileges, for example, the rights to opportunity of articulation and admittance to data, will unavoidably increment, and the NIMC will stay a paper tiger."
SERAP stated: "Rather than driving Nigerians to enlist, compromising telecom specialist co-ops with sanctions, and presenting Nigerians to the dangers of COVID-19, your administration should ensure that the NIMC releases its legal capacities to orchestrate and incorporate existing distinguishing proof data sets in government offices, and utilize the data gathered."
As indicated by SERAP: "The solicitation for Nigerians to enlist for NIN is oppressive, ridiculous and superfluous. It would wind up filling no other need than to compromise and disregard the privileges of Nigerians, and make a 'chilling impact' on residents' capacity to partake in the battle against defilement in the nation, and in this way genuinely sabotaging the public authority's frequently rehashed obligation to straightforwardness and responsibility."
The letter, read to some degree: "There is neither a squeezing lawful or pragmatic requirement for this enlistment, which undermines Nigerians' common freedoms, particularly at a time your government is cautioning Nigerians about the second flood of the COVID-19 flare-up in the nation."
"Impeding Nigerians from utilizing their SIM cards would add up to an outright infringement of their privileges to opportunity of articulation and admittance to data, and have a 'chilling impact' on the pleasure in other common freedoms."
"We would be thankful if your administration would show the measures being taken to stop the superfluous enlistment of NIN, pull out the danger to obstruct SIM cards, and take solid measures to expeditiously guarantee that the NIMC can dependably release its legal capacities to blend and coordinate existing ID information bases in government organizations into the National Identity Database, inside 7 days of the receipt or potentially distribution of this letter."
"In the event that we have not gotten with you by, at that point regarding the means being taken toward this path, SERAP will make all suitable legitimate moves to propel your administration to execute these suggestions in light of a legitimate concern for a large number of Nigerians."
"One of the expressed reasons for NIMC as explained in area 5 [a] of the NIMC Act is to fit and incorporate existing distinguishing proof information bases in government offices into a public character information base. In the event that the NIMC can't play out this significant legal obligation, at that point it has neglected to accomplish a conspicuous piece of its authoritative reason."
"This push for enlistment will put a significant weight on the activity of basic liberties by Nigerians. It is additionally evidently in opposition to the targets of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as contained in Section 1[g] of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, which is to secure the rights and interest of specialist co-ops and customers inside Nigeria.'"
"These rights apparently incorporate the rights to opportunity of articulation, admittance to data, life and individual security. The happiness regarding these rights shapes the reason for a free and popularity based society. A vote based government dependent on the standard of law is one that is capable to its populace and tries to speak to their inclinations."
"The push for enrollment for NIN is an awful activity, and can't discover uphold in existing laws, the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] and the nation's global common freedoms commitments."
"SERAP noticed that the data on people as of now being looked for by your administration as of now exist in a few stages, including through different resident's assortment information stages, for example, the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), global identification, driver's permit, SIM card enrollment and electors' card."
"This point is buttressed by Section 5 [h] of the NIMC Act 2007, which gives that: 'the Commission will set up and keep up made sure about correspondence joins with any current significant personality related information base or organization'".
"The legal obligation to orchestrate and coordinate existing information for the reasons for NIN and SIM card enrollment ought not be hard to do, as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) are now individuals from the Board of the NIMC by ideals of area 2[1] of the NIMC Act."
"Our solicitations are gotten the public interest, and with regards to the necessities of the Nigerian Constitution 1999, the nation's global common freedoms commitments including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. Nigeria has approved both basic liberties settlements."
"As per our data, your administration has given a fourteen day final offer for the enlistment and connecting of National Identity Number (NIN) to portable numbers the nation over."
"The NCC has likewise allegedly guided telecom specialist co-ops to impede telephone numbers without NIN while Mr Abubakar has expressed that there would be no expansion for the reported cutoff time finishing 30 December, 2020."
"Your administration has likewise allegedly compromised that, 'After the cutoff time, all SIMs without NINs are to be hindered from the organizations. Infringement of this order will be met by firm endorses, including the chance of withdrawal of working permit.'"
The letter is replicated to Mr Abubakar Malami SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Pantami, and Mr Abubakar.
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