By Emmanuel Ogbodo<\/p>\n
Following a startling report from Paradigm Initiative, which claimed that sensitive Nigerian data, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), could be accessed online for just 100 naira, Engineer Lanre Yusuf, the Director of IT at Nigeria’s Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has denied any breach within the commission’s data system. Yusuf attributed the potential breach to “licensed partners.”<\/p>\n
Speaking as a guest on a television show, Yusuf clarified that no breach has been detected within NIMC’s systems. However, he acknowledged that NIMC has licensed verification partners who use NIMC’s data to provide services to authorized users. He suggested that the data sold online might have been harvested from these verification partners through APIs.<\/p>\n
“So rightfully, licensed people will have access to our data. But as you can see, it is like we have a market square whereby some individuals and organizations have harvested data from different sources and are trying to sell to interested buyers,” Yusuf explained.<\/p>\n
Yusuf noted that data harvesting is a relatively new concept in the identity ecosystem and emphasized the importance of protecting citizens’ data. He assured that NIMC is working on enhancing its data protection measures to prevent future breaches. This includes tightening security protocols and continuously monitoring the activities of licensed partners to ensure compliance with data protection standards.<\/p>\n
Additionally, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, refuted the claim that the NIN slip of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, was purchased online, calling it a “false narrative.” Speaking on the same TV program, Adegoke insisted that the NIN slip obtained from an unauthorized platform (AnyVerify.com.NG) was not authentic.<\/p>\n
“That is not our NIN slip. When you compare the NIN slip you received with the one shown online, you will see it is a fake slip. I question Mr. Gbenga Sesan’s (Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director) actions in purchasing the minister’s NIN slip online instead of his own. The slip paraded is fake,” Adegoke stated.<\/p>\n
Adegoke emphasized that the purported NIN slip cannot be used to access any government services due to its false information and lack of verification and authentication. He elaborated on the challenges many Nigerians face in understanding NIMC’s digital identity management system, citing limited awareness as a significant barrier.<\/p>\n
“When you obtain your NIN, the data is stored in our database. Anytime you want to access government services, such as buying a SIM card, the presented NIN will be verified and authenticated. Data is more than just demographic information; it encompasses a broader spectrum,” he explained.<\/p>\n
Adegoke further clarified that the NIN slip is a token of enrollment, not easily transferable or purchasable. “If you use someone else’s NIN to register for a SIM card, it will be verified against your fingerprint and iris to confirm your identity. The NIN is a digital token, not an analogue one that can be easily circulated,” he concluded.<\/p>\n
In response to these developments, NIMC has pledged to improve its public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on the importance of protecting their NIN and understanding the digital identity management system. The commission is also exploring ways to enhance the security features of the NIN slip to prevent unauthorized use and ensure that all data transactions are secure and reliable.<\/p>\n
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining data security in an increasingly digital world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Emmanuel Ogbodo Following a startling report from Paradigm Initiative, which claimed that sensitive Nigerian data, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), could be accessed online for just 100 naira, Engineer Lanre Yusuf, the Director of IT at Nigeria’s Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has denied any breach within the commission’s data system. Yusuf attributed the potential […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37509"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37512,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37509\/revisions\/37512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}