Buhari Orders NCC To Collect Nigerians’ Phone IDs Within Three Months

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission to collect the phone International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of citizens within three months.

Buhari’s directive to the NCC was contained in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration. The directive, according to Buhari, must be fully implemented by the end of July 2021.

The policy stated that the implementation of a Centralized Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) otherwise known as Device Management System (DMS) will serve as a repository for keeping records of all registered mobile phones’ International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and owners of such devices.

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With the emergence of the new policy, Nigerians are quite unclear of the purposes of the directive. Some are of the opinion that the reasons for implementation are the same as that of the National Identity Number (NIN) that is being conducted by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).