The Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, has stated that in order to secure Nigeria in the next few years, Nigerians should present and verify their National Identity Number, (NIN), even before using a restaurant.
Dr. Pantami said this in Gombe, during the 6th to 35th Convocation Lecture of the Federal College of Education, Technical, Gombe, tagged: “Deployment of Emerging Technologies to Enhance Security of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria” after he joined other dignitaries to commission various projects within the institution.
He said the ministry had introduced four major initiatives in Nigeria, which when implemented, would go a long way in addressing a minimum of 80% of Nigeria’s security challenges.
According to him, the integration of the NIN has helped in the profiling of citizens to help secure Nigeria. He also explained why his ministry insisted on the mandatory use of the NIN in spite of over 44 petitions written against the policy and several court cases in the country.
The minister added that the NIN policy was mandatory by law in Nigeria and that it stood to secure the country. He said globally, countries were deploying these emerging technologies to enhance their security, hence its application in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions would provide the needed security in such places.
Consequently, Pantami said the use of the five emerging technologies would greatly enhance the security of Nigerian institutions, which are Artificial Intelligence, (AI), Automation and Robotics, Cyber Security, Blockchain Technology and 5th Generation, or 5G.
