THE NEEDLESS IMEI CONTROVERSY

Pantami should stick to policy issues and ensure the independence of regulatory bodies

A fortnight ago, Nigerians woke up to learn that they would have to submit the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of their phones and other mobile devices to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) effective July 2021. The decision, reportedly in aid of a centralised Device Management System (DMS), was said to be backed by President Muhammadu Buhari. He was said to have directed that the DMS be implemented within three months to serve as a repository for keeping records of all registered mobile phones’ IMEIs and owners of such devices in the country. However, Nigerians were later made to understand that the said directive emanated from the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM card registration developed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ibrahim Pantami.

At the end, what became clear is the confusion that arises when there is no coherence in pushing government policy. The initial pushback arose because many Nigerians indeed felt that any new government directive that would, once again, subject them to another excruciating and compelling exercise of having to register their mobile devices’ IMEIs, would be unacceptable. This, at a time they were just wriggling out of the many problems created because of the linkage exercise of National Identity Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) lines. But the controversy turned out to be much ado about nothing, following a statement by the NCC, clarifying that at no time did the commission ask subscribers for such data registration and it has no plans to do so.

The DMS project is the initiative of NCC. The commission had in 2015 organised a stakeholder forum aimed at developing recommendations that could influence decision and policy directions, leading to solutions to combat the issue of counterfeit and substandard Information and Communications Technology (ICT) devices in the country. Based on what the NCC highlighted as benefits to Nigerian consumers, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) collaborated for the acquisition of an effective DMS solution. Subsequently, in February 2019, the NCC set up two committees to fast-track the process of developing the DMS, whose main objective according to the commission, was “combating the proliferation of fake, counterfeit, substandard and cloned mobile communications devices in the telecommunication industry toward protecting the industry and the consumers.”

Given the foregoing, there was no point for the minister to unnecessarily drag the DMS issue as a new initiative worthy of national policy since it dwells entirely within regulatory powers of the NCC. The unwarranted tension and misunderstanding the matter triggered was because of the three-month ultimatum given in the SIM card registration and acquisition of NIN. We therefore continue to emphasize the need for Pantami to stick to policy issues and ensure the independence of all the regulatory bodies under his ministry to sustain the growth of the industry.

Pantami obviously prefers style over substance. But his continual penchant for showboating and micro-managing the regulatory agencies under his ministerial purview is counterproductive. While he reserves both the right and power to oversee what these agencies are doing, he should give them the freedom to exercise their mandates in accordance with the laws that established them.