The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has reiterated the premium role trust plays at the heart of Nigeria’s efforts to build a secure and resilient digital economy.
According to him, with mobile phone numbers increasingly serving as gateways to essential services beyond voice calls, trust deficit would bring about a catastrophic development in the telecoms industry.
Speaking at the WSIS 2026 Leaders’ TalkX which focused on building a secure and trusted Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the NCC boss explained that mobile phone numbers have become central to everyday life, giving Nigerians access to banking, government services, healthcare, education, commerce and other digital platforms.
He stressed that this growing reliance makes it imperative to protect the integrity of mobile identities and the infrastructure that supports them.
According to Maida, Nigeria’s strategy is built on three key pillars of: trusted identities, trusted networks and trusted markets.
He explained further that the Commission’s Telecom Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), enables authorised institutions to securely verify the identity linked to a phone number, a move, he stated, aims at improving accountability and curbing fraud.
On network security, Maida noted that the Communications Sector Cyber Resilience Framework, implemented along with the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), is helping government, industry players and other stakeholders work together to strengthen the country’s communications infrastructure against emerging cyber threats.
He added that building trust equally requires a robust telecommunications market where consumers have access to reliable and affordable services, effective channels for resolving complaints, and investors operate under transparent, predictable and consistent regulations.
Dr. Maida maintained that resilient Digital Public Infrastructure can only thrive when citizens trust their digital identities, networks remain secure, and the regulatory environment supports innovation, investment and consumer confidence.
