Buhari Directs Operatives To Fight Insecurity Using 5G Network As Analysts Question Relevance Of NIM/Sim Linkage 

“Is it for lack of political will that government has not been able to apprehend kidnappers and terrorists still using their phones to call relations of their victims for ransome,” queries an analyst who pleaded anonymity.

The directive to link SIM to NIN, which is still ongoing, is primarily to address national security concerns surrounding the use of SIMs.

 It is also for harmonization of data of all Nigerian residents so as to create an authentic national citizens database which government can use to improve serves to the citizenry and address security concerns.

To another analyst “I think Nigerians are tired of all these promises and policies without visible improvements in the living conditions of the people. The low-hanging fruit of tracing the lines used by kidnappers to the identy number has proved a herculean task, what gives us the hope that the 5G network now will work,”?

However, Buhari who spoke at the presentation of the national policy on 5G, approved at the Federal Executive Council meeting, says much can be achieved security wise with the new technology.

Buhari also allayed fears over the health safety of 5G, affirming that such issues have been ”effectively addressed” in developing a Policy that suits the country.
On the benefits of 5G technology, the President noted that it can support virtually every sector of the economy, including enhanced connectivity, improved healthcare, support education while fostering smart cities and boosting agriculture, among other advantages.

He said: ”It will also support security institutions with real-time communication.

”5G technology is significantly faster than earlier digital technologies and it provides near real-time communication. This can play a key role in boosting our efforts towards enhancing security across the nation.

”It will enable our security institutions to effectively deploy robotics, autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality to address any security challenges that we face.”
He explained that the National 5G Policy includes a deployment plan to ensure that major cities across the country benefit from the technologies.

Buhari added that the policy is in line with the commitment of his administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler of economic diversification.

He assured investors that the Federal Government would continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to succeed as Nigeria begins the roll-out of the technology.

President Buhari directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to supervise the implementation of the Policy, being done by the Nigerian Communications Commission with the support of other government institutions.
The President also used the occasion to provide a rundown of how his administration has created an enabling environment for investments to thrive in Nigeria’s digital economy.

He recounted that the journey to the launch of the 5G National policy started with the launch of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy in November 2019 as well as the launch of a number of policies to strengthen digital economy, including the Nigerian National Broadband Plan and the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.