Nigerians To Pay For Proposed Multipurpose ID Card, NIN Enrolment Hits 107 Million

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced on Friday that the National Identity Number (NIN) has increased by 3.2 million from 104 million at the end of last year.

The Commission also announced plans to introduce a general multipurpose NIN card for which Nigerians will have to pay.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, the Commission’s Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, also revealed that, despite the increase in enrollment, the Commission is not resting on its laurels and will go to any length to ensure that every Nigerian is registered.

She revealed that the commission is overhauling its systems, implementing cutting-edge technologies to replace outdated equipment, and cracking down on fraudsters and extortionists.

She stated that with the continued expansion of enrollment centres across the country, the Commission will be able to record total Nigerian registrations.

Coker-Odusote stated that the system’s capacity, which is currently 100 million, will be increased to 250 million over the next six to eight months.

She also stated that the Commission intends to review its service prices to improve service delivery to Nigerians and that any staff members caught colluding with illegal actors would face prosecution.

She stated, “All we are trying to do is ensure that we provide a robust service to Nigerian citizens and legal residents. And to make life easy and seamless. One should not spend three to four hours in the NIMC office for NIN services. This is something I will not allow to continue. We will provide all necessary resources to resolve the issue.

“We are clamping down on extortionists masquerading as NIMC employees. Many people have lost their money to extortionists.

“Any NIMC employee who attempts to work with illegal perpetrators will face a disciplinary committee and be tried under the Cybercrime Act 2015 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. The same goes for any illegal perpetrators.

“We will ensure proper communication to guard against extortioners.

“We are going to review our rates. It will not be much, but it will be evaluated. We have not reviewed our rates in a long time. It is not going to be too expensive.”

She explained that Nigerians would have to pay a fee to obtain the new general multipurpose national identity card through financial institutions in the country, claiming that the card would provide access to various digital services and improve financial inclusion.

“Just as you pay to use your ATM cards in banks, Nigerians will pay through banks to use their cards within 48 hours. We are collaborating with Afrigo to ensure that cards are delivered to citizens promptly after payment for the digital multipurpose card,” she stated.

She stated that applicants for the card must submit a request with their NIN via a self-service online portal or banks, insisting that NIN registration remains free for all citizens of the country.

She went on to say that NIMC is collaborating with the Students Loan Board, NYSC, and other government institutions in charge of palliative care distribution and that the NIMC identity database will soon be used for government services to ensure accountability and eliminate ghost beneficiaries.

She stated that states such as Jigawa, Lagos, Kaduna, and Delta, among others, are currently acting as Front End Partners with NIMC to register their citizens in the national identity database, and she urged the media to support the Commission’s efforts by raising public awareness.