By Jimoh Babatunde
As the Nigerian  Tourism Development Corporation [NTDC] prepares for this year’s International Tourism Trade Fair [FITUR] exhibition in Madrid next week, the Director-General of the corporation has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over its planned move to begin the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration exercise, saying the project stands to protect the interest of tourist to the country.

Reacting to the move to commence the official registration of all SIMs in the country billed to take off in March, this year, Director General of the corporation, Otunba Segun Runsewe, described the initiative as long over due, even as he stated that he has been an advocate of this initiative having expressed his minds about it at different fora.

“If the SIM card registration is effectively implemented, it would go a long way to destabilize the activities of fraudsters in the tourism industry and as such protect the interest of tourists. The initiative would also make the international community, particularly those wishing to invest in Nigeria to see us as a serious country to deal with,” said Runsewe.

It would be recalled that only recently the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directed that with effect from March 1, all new Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to be issued by the network operators in the country must be registered before activation.

In a statement credited to Reuben Muoka, NCC head of Media and Public Relations signed on December 28, 2009, the Commission also directed all telecom operating companies in the country to put all necessary arrangements in place for the smooth take_off of the exercise.

The registration process, according to the Commission, would include the capture of the photograph and biometrics of the subscriber while proxy registration of SIM cards would be restricted to the direct families of persons seeking registration.

The Commission also plans to capture existing SIM card holders as necessary processes and procedures are currently being put in place to guarantee a smooth registration exercise. According to the Commission, the general public and all relevant stakeholders would be notified accordingly in due course.

“It is obvious that when the SIM card registration exercise is fully implemented and backed by appropriate legislations would help in protecting innocent Nigerians and visitors from mobile phone related abuses,” the NTDC chief stressed.

While commending the NCC for its bold steps in putting up a regulatory framework for this exercise to work, Runsewe, however, cautioned telecom operators in Nigeria to cooperate with the NCC to make the exercise practicable.