The NigerianCommunications Commission’s (NCC) SIM Card Registration in my opinion could be a laudable step in the right direction for the nations development. Through the exercise, the NCC has provided the country with what could become the kernel for a Citizens Identification System and national development information database.

This of course means alignment with the NationalIdentity Management Commission (NIMC) and National Population Commission (NPC) which I believe is already happening as well as co-ordination with other citizen information databases including Driver’s License with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Voters Registration with the IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC), Criminal Records databases with the security agencies and Financial Transactions databases of the Banks & other financial institutions etc. As provider of choice for Information and Communications Technologies infrastructure to Nigerian Government Ministries Departments and Agencies, Galaxy Backbone will no doubt have a key role to play in the mix. Should such a network of databases be created, it would present Nigeria with the much desired and long talk about robust system of identification of individuals on which to build the sophisticated and intricate economic information systems of modern nations.

