The National Identification Number (NIN) is allegedly being sold without authorization. The Federal Government initiated an investigation into this matter after learning that Nigerians’ personal information was being sold online for a price.
Concerns about the preservation of peoples’ right to privacy and possible financial consequences have been raised by the revelation. Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, acknowledged during his remarks on the subject that he had started talking with Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, about it.
Currently in charge of maintaining Nigeria’s identity database is the National Identity Management Commission, which is under the Ministry of Interior’s jurisdiction.
“While I have engaged with my counterpart at the Ministry of Interior regarding this matter, I am confident in their commitment to safeguarding our national identity data,” Dr. Tijani affirmed in a statement released on Wednesday.
He conveyed confidence in the Ministry of Interior’s and NIMC’s continued efforts to swiftly resolve the matter.
Citing direct extraction from official databases, Paradigm Initiative issued a warning last week after discovering cases where NINs, Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), and other sensitive personal information were allegedly for sale online.
Gbenga Sesan, the organization’s executive director, claimed that the data being sold on the websites came directly from government databases.
“The problem is not Nigerians because we were able to confirm that what they were selling is NIMC’s data and we have proof. We got the NIN slip of the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. We got the NIN slip of the number one data regulator in Nigeria, Dr. Vincent Olatunji. We bought them for N100 each to demonstrate that this is not a joke,” he said.