Pascal Oparada
Nigerians are again attacking out-of-favour minister of communication and digital economy, Isa Pantami over a new policy which will see mobile phone users submit their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers to the National Communications Commission (NCC) effective July.
The new policy has again pitted Nigerians against the minister who has been under attack over a controversial policy of linking their National identity numbers to their SIM cards and also accused of being sympathizer to terrorists, a statement the minister has since denied.
According to them, the new directive is a ploy by Pantami and his cohorts to further pry into the affairs of Nigerians and track their whereabouts.
“Isa Pantami have access to our NIN, now NCC is mandating Nigerians to submit IMEI of phones from July 2021. I hope FG won’t be mad if people don’t comply with these IMEI directives, because when people asked for the resignation of Isa Pantami for his extremism, FG didn’t comply,” says Uncle Ajala on Twitter.
“NCC said Nigerians must submit their phone IMEI from July, & it’s mandatory. Obadiah Mailafia already told us, “they will move to Phase 2 by 2022.” With your phone IMEI, they will track your whereabouts. And Isa Pantami has access to your NIN-SIM Registration information,” says @Firstladyship said on Twitter.
IMEI is a unique number for identifying a device on a mobile network and can be tracked even when a device is switched off.
