BY Bonnie Onukwube, (GUEST COLUMNIST)

The advantage of SIM (subscriber identity module) card registration has been severally canvassed in many quarters.  Whenever SIM card registration is mentioned, my mind goes to the idea about how this will help Nigeria track different types of criminals who seize the opportunity of undocumented use of SIM card in Nigeria to their advantage.

In a country where security is a major concern, SIM card registration becomes important but how do you tackle this without any known records in the country that could be relied upon to crosscheck or verify data, even when criminals are caught?

As the idea of mobile money transfer and cashless society creeps into our environment, it cannot be imagined how this can become possible without reliable records. Talks by various agencies about biometric data capture in the scheme of their activities have not provided the nation with a reliable database for multiple use, especially that of accurate citizen data.

This is why it would appear that SIM Card registration currently being handled by the telecom regulator, NCC, may hold the key to unlocking the huge benefits that Nigeria is seeking to tap from accurate citizen data. After reading the recent submissions of the NCC by its chief executive, Dr. Eugene Juwah,  at the recent probe of the exercise, one would not but conclude that Nigeria is on the right course.

Going by the testimony of the NCC boss at the House of Representatives where he openly staked his integrity and challenged anyone who can prove any misuse of the allocated amount, one would want Nigerians to give the telecom regulator the chance to complete this project and save the nation the shame and embarrassment of years of unreliable citizen data base.

It is very rare for public officers in Nigeria to stand in front of legislators and stake their reputation on a project. Those familiar with the history of the private sector arm of the nation’s telecom sector would recall the contributions of Juwah as an active foundational actor in those days when the private sector was building capacity and structure both of which precipitated in what is today referred to as ‘telecom revolution’.

It is on this note that we should collectively give the commission the chance to complete the SIM card registration process. Good money is involved and it must be spent judiciously. Public institutions here have a reputation of frittering away our collective patrimony. Some critics of the SIM card registration argue that the process is taking too long.

While it is evident that SIM card registration would assist in fighting crimes in the country, it is debatable whether it is the only solution to fighting crime. If SIM registration is the only solution, then there would be no crime in countries like the US, UK, Canada, Germany, among others.

SIM card registration has taken place in South Africa but the country is still in the throes of crime. Against this background, one would subscribe to the immediate completion of this project to assist security agencies in fighting crime in Nigeria, because at least, it will help to reduce it.

If it will take the NCC another six or more months to give Nigeria a credible citizen database through the SIM card registration process, so be it.

Onukwube, a company executive, writes from Lagos.