FG Urged to Halt Security Breach Amid Controversial NIN-BVN Linkage Mandate

In a recent press statement, High Chief Tola Adeniyi, Jagun Oodua Adimula II of Yorubaland, has vehemently criticized the Federal Government’s handling of sensitive security information, particularly regarding the National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) linkage with telephone numbers.

Adeniyi condemned what he described as an “inimical and insidious security breach,” emphasizing that such a practice is unprecedented globally. He raised concerns over the potential misuse of NINs, likening them to Social Insurance Numbers in other countries, which are highly confidential.

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The controversy traces back to a policy allegedly initiated by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Patami, which required Nigerian citizens to link their NINs and BVNs with their telephone numbers. Adeniyi pointed out that this move was part of a politically motivated agenda stemming from President Buhari’s Cairo declaration, which he claims opened the floodgates for migrants, particularly Fulani from across Africa, to obtain Nigerian citizenship.

He further criticized the enactment of legislation that seemingly granted Nigerian citizenship to migrants possessing a phone number linked to NIN, regardless of their residency status. Adeniyi warned that such actions could lead to a significant demographic shift in the country.

Expressing grave concerns about the security implications, Adeniyi highlighted the potential for criminal exploitation of NINs, now made accessible through phone numbers. He accused the Federal Government of exposing Nigerians to various criminal elements, both locally and internationally, through this security lapse.

Adeniyi called upon Nigerian constitutional lawyers and security experts to intervene urgently and compel the government to cease this controversial practice.

He stressed that Nigerians have endured enough “silly and self-serving laws and regulations