Nation
Comprehensive SIM Card Registration To Gulp N6.1bn
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is to spend about N6.1 billion on the first phase of its comprehensive SIM card registration nationwide.
Presenting the budget of the Commission before the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, the acting Vice President of NCC, Dr Bashir Gwandu, said it would capture the existing 70 million subscribers in all the networks in the first phase.
Gwandu said that due to the comprehensive aspect of the exercise, it would cost the commission N120 each to register the first 50 million subscribers.
He explained that the registration being planned would be a central data base that would capture the photograph, forensic finger print of an individual and serve as multipurpose.
Gwandu said once the budget was passed by the National Assembly, the commission would kick start the process, as all stakeholders had been fully mobilised for the exercise.
“SIM card registration project is meant to register all prepaid card subscribers in Nigeria in order to curb incidences of crime being committed through the use of prepaid cards,’’ he said.
Gwandu said the absence of subscriber-identification facility had far reaching security implications and was exploited by unscrupulous individuals to perpetrate crime and other illegal activities in the country.
He said NCC would partner with private sector solution providers in Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement to develop and deploy a secure, reliable, widely accepted and continuous SIM Card registration system.
He explained that the operators registration of sim card which commenced since May 1, was different from NCC’s wholesale registration as stipulated by the Act setting it up.
Gwandu said the commission intended to also use N300 million towards registration of handsets against phone theft and spend N500 million on ICT training programmes for youths in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour.
The NCC said it was projecting a revenue of N42.6 billion for 2010 out of which N9.7 billion would be recurrent expenditure while N23.8 billion is set aside for capital projects.
Gwandu added that the sum of N13.1 billion would be expended on Special Projects while N8.3 billion would be transferred to the Universal Service Provision Fund as against N14.8 billion that would be transferred to the Federal Government.
Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Dave Salako said it was agreed that the registration should commence and end within six months of the passage of 2010 budget, so that Nigerians would enjoy the facility.
Salako said the registration of all sim by the regulators would go a long way to solve the security problems in the country especially the recent incessant kidnapping and robbery.
He expressed the opinion that the registration would equally solve the problems of statistics and correct data base for effective planning following the failure of national identity card projects.
Salako (PDP-Ogun), however, cautioned the commission to be prudent with its budget and ensure quick implementation of all its capital projects, to ensure even distribution of the facilities in the country.
The Rivers State Judiciary has denied claims of media reports circulating online that a judge of its High Court issued a ruling in favour of Governor Siminalayi Fubara against former Governor Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu, there by sacking the sole Administrator of the state, vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd).
A statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi yesterday in Port Harcourt, described the purported report as false and misleading, particularly for linking a judge of the State High Court, Justice Boma Diepirii, to a ruling that reportedly came from a Federal High Court.
According to the statement, Justice Boma Diepirii is a Judge of the Rivers State High Court and not of the Federal High Court and currently on Easter Vacation, which commenced on Monday, 14th April.
The Chief Registrar further clarified that the Federal High Court and the State High Court are separate entities, stressing that “the inclusion of Justice Diepiri’s name in the fabricated report underscores the crass ignorance of the author.”
“The attention of the Rivers State Judiciary has been drawn to a fake news report alleging that His Lordship, Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri, delivered a judgment sacking the Sole Administrator of Rivers State. This is false in its entirety,” the statement read.
“Justice Diepiri is a judge of the High Court of Rivers State, not of the Federal High Court as was falsely reported”.
” Additionally, His Lordship is currently on Easter vacation which began on Monday, April 14, 2025, Ihua-Maduenyi stated.
The statement however advised the general public and members of the media to always cross checked information concerning the judiciary before publishing and as well disregard the said report in its entirety as its an embodiment of falsehood and fabricated story.
The Senate yesterday approved the bills for the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences and College of Education, Bende at its plenary session.
The two bills sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon . Benjamin Kalu came to the Senate for concurrence after the approvals from the House of Representatives.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru in the absence of the Majority Leader presented the recommendations of the Lower Chamber for consideration and Concurrence .
The Bill for an Act to establish Federal College of Education, Bende in Abia State seeks to provide full-time courses, training in technology, applied sciences, commerce, social sciences, arts and humanities among others.
Kalu had in his lead debate stated that Bende has remained undivided since its creation in 1976, even though with the size of four local government areas as found in comparative federal constituencies.
“Despite its strategic location in Abia and sharing a border with Akwa Ibom, with a growing population and landmass, there is no tertiary institution in the Federal Constituency operated either by Federal or State Government. Bende deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen. This is accompanied by the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education,” he said.
For the bill seeking the establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Bende, Abia State, he said when it becomes law, the university will be charged with the responsibility to, among other things, offer full-time training leading to the award of degrees in medical and health sciences.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
South East Caucus of the Senate has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immorttalise late Professor Humphrey Nwosu considering his commitment to achieving a practical democracy for Nigerian.
The Senators visibly angered by the Senate’s rejection of the need to immortalise the late National Electoral umpire who stood for democracy through the turbulent 1993 elections stormed out of the Senate Chambers and spoke to the press .
The Chairman of the South East Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Abia South), as he did in plenary on Wednesday, presented a motion for immortalisation of Humphrey Nwosu by naming the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , after him , for laying the foundation in 1993 and conducting the freest and fairest Presidential election in the country .
The late Professor Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC) , now known as Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , who through option A4, conducted the June 12, 19993 presidential election , adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the country.
Abaribe in the motion co – sponsored by 15 other Senators , said late Humphrey Nwosu deserved to be immortalised like other heroes of the June 12 , 1993 presidential election .
He also urged the Federal Government to honour the late former electoral umpire with post humous national honours .
But Abaribe’s request , seconded by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and supported by Senators from the South East including forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi ( Kebbi North) , was roundly rejected by other Senators who said the deceased deserved no immortalization .
Specifically , Senator Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) , in his contribution to the debate said the motion to him, was nothing but an attempt to manipulate and rewrite history.
“ Professor Humphrey Nwosu as NEC Chairman in 1993, failed to deliver on the June 12 , 1993 Presidential Election for lack of Courage
“ He who is not ready to die for something , will die for nothing
“ If he was afraid of the gun from announcing the election results and winner in 1993 , he cannot be rewarded now , more so, when many Nigerians died for what he inadvertently created “, he said .
Nneka Amaechi -Nnadi