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NIN: Adamawa Monarch Lauds NIMC, Pledges Collaboration
…As Commission Targets Children for Enrolment
The Lamido of Adamawa, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa, has commended the management of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) over its successes in the registration of Nigerians for the National Identity Number (NIN).
The monarch, who gave the commendation while receiving a delegation of the Commission at the Lamido’s Palace, Yola, recently, pledged his support to NIMC towards the implementation of its mandate.
According to a Press Release jointly signed by NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke and Nigeria Digital ID4D Communications Manager, Dr. Walter Duru, the Lamido, represented by the Galadima Adamawa, Alhaji Mustafa Aminu, urged the delegation to take steps towards ensuring that NIN enrolment in rural areas was seamless.
“It is our collective desire that the NIN enrolment process is seamless. Lamido, His Royal Highness has asked me to extend his cooperation and support so that together, we move the country forward.”
Earlier in his remarks, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz Abubakar commended the monarch for his role in keeping Adamawa state safe.
He informed the Lamido that the Commission had taken deliberate steps to ensure the registration of children and women for the National Identity Number.
“Our focus now is on the issuance of the unique National Identity Number. Developed countries of the world do not issue Identity cards, but numbers. For instance, we have the Social Security Number in the United States and the National Insurance Number in the United Kingdom. It is the number that matters to us currently.”
“We have enrolled over one hundred million Nigerians and issued them with the NIN. We are in Yola to re-strategize to achieve more.”
“Statistics show that we have enrolled about 90 percent of adults and only 10 percent of children. Now, we are focusing on the children, going to all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to enrol those in rural and hard-to-reach areas, women, children, and the vulnerable.”
“When the government knows who and where those living in Nigeria are, the government will be able to make adequate provisions for them.”
The NIMC Chief Executive used the occasion to invite the monarch to the 2023 edition of the annual World Identity Day, scheduled to be held on the 16th of September 2023.
On the NIMC DG’s delegation was the Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development Project, Musa Odole Solomon, Directors, and other top management staff of the NIMC and Nigeria Digital ID4D Project.
Those on the Lamido’s team were Alhaji Mustafa Aminu – Galadima Adamawa, who represented the Lamido of Adamawa; Justice Nathan Musa – Wakilin Alkalai Adamawa (Retired Chief Judge); Alhaji Ahamdu Bobboi – Chief Imam, Modibbo Adama Central Mosque; Alhaji Kabiru Bakari – Tariya Adamawa, Secretary, Adamawa Emirate Council and Prof. Abubakar Abba Tahir, Kakaki Adamawa.
The visit to Lamido’s Palace was one of the highlights of the NIMC/Nigeria Digital ID4D Management Workshop, held in Jimeta – Yola, Adamawa State, recently.
The event was supported by the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) Project.
In another development, Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, Musa Odole Solomon said the NIMC/Nigeria Digital ID4D Management Workshop was an invaluable opportunity to engage in conversations that would provide solutions to the challenges facing the Commission.
Highlights of the event were paper presentations, a review of existing implementation plans, interactive sessions, visitations, agreement on the next steps, among others.
August 21, 2023
FG Orders Banks To Issue NIN Cards To Customers
The Federal Government says Nigerians can now request their commercial banks issue them with a debit card that doubles as their national identity card.
Prof Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja. He said this issuance comes at no cost.
Pantami stated that the approval was obtained at the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the approval followed a memo from the National Identity Management Commission allowing banks to print multipurpose debit cards that double as National identity cards.
The Minister explained that” It is going to be a form of multipurpose card where it will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other hand, either Mastercard, Visa or any other kind of card.”
According to Pantami, although the NIMC Act 2007 only mandates Nigerians to have a National Identity Number and not necessarily a printout card, demands for cards have swelled nonetheless.
“As in the NIMC Act 2007, section 27, what is mandatory for our citizens and legal residents is the acquiring of the National Identity Number, not the card. However, the card is optional.
“But many citizens, particularly those living in rural communities, always go to NIMC offices complaining that they need the card at hand, even though it’s optional.
“To make it easier, NIMC last year, we introduced a smart ID card you can download from NIMC app. It is just a smart card. You don’t need to have it physically, but that is becoming difficult for our people living in rural communities.”
To ease the difficulty, Pantami said NIMC had partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria ”so that citizens who are interested in having a card at hand can easily go to the relevant banks.”
According to him, the bank is permitted to print the card along with either a Mastercard or Visa card.
”It is going to be a form of multipurpose card that will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other. And based on the agreement, it is without any additional costs on our citizens.
“So when you apply for a card at your bank, you can indicate that ‘I want this card to be multiple purposes where it will serve as my bank card and also my national identity card’.
”Both of them are going to be printed on the same card and it is going to serve the same purposes without any additional costs.”
The Minister disclosed that NIMC and the CBN signed a nondisclosure agreement to protect the privacy and confidentiality of card applicants. He assured of the privacy and confidentiality of card users.
Pantami further stated that, when a person requests for the card, the bank will need to connect to the NIMC through their database.
He said that afterwards, the bank verifies the person’s details which must be in tandem with the record in the NIMC database. Then, the card will be printed immediately for the user.
The Minister also said that FEC also approved a memo proposing the deployment of an automated system to integrate NINs with individual SIM cards.
The system, he noted, would consolidate the implementation of the NIN-SIM linkage.
He said, “As we all know that previous administrations made efforts to verify NIN and SIM starting from 2011 without success.
”In February 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the implementation of the policy and the revised version of the policy was also launched and unveiled by Mr. President on May 6, 2021.
“As it stands today, the NIN and SIM policy registration is being implemented. In order to consolidate the implementation.
“The Nigerian Communications Commission came up with a proposal that will enhance the implementation of the policy and bring many more benefits to it.”
Pantami said the automated system would sanitise the database and ease the process of SIM replacement for Nigerians or legal residents.
May 25, 2023
NIMC Releases New Fees for NIN Verification for Passports
Nigerians applying for passports will henceforth be charged N1000 in the country for the verification of their National Identification Number.
The announcement was made on Monday, February 13, by the Head of Corporate Communications at the National Identity Management Commission, Kayode Adegoke.
According to the NIMC, the fee is to improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services through timely verification of NIN.
In the new framework agreed upon with the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerians applying for passports in Nigeria will pay N1000 for NIN verification in Nigeria, $5 in other African countries, and $15 in other countries.
He said;
“This new arrangement is in furtherance of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s directive to streamline passport application, renewal, and issuance processes.
“Consequently, a NIN Verification fee would be charged for each Nigerian passport application for this service.
“NIMC and NIS have agreed on a revised applicant journey that will significantly improve the speed of passport issuance /re-issuance and reduce the traffic visiting the NIS office(s). The NIN service, fees, and the new NIS process will go live on 1st April.
“The delay in the processing of passport applications could be as a result of the integration of data between NIS and the NIMC, which also, in turn, integrate with the BVN data of applicants.”
March 14, 2023
NIN: Redesign national ID card, Reps tell NIMC
The House of Representatives has called on the National Identity Management Commission to redesign the national identity card such that the National Identity Number of the bearer is written on it.
The call followed the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by a member of the House, Fredrick Agbedi, at the plenary on Wednesday.
Moving the motion titled ‘Need to Have National Identity Number Displayed on the National Identity Card,’ Agbedi noted that the NIN is used by the government of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens’ permanent and temporary residency for work and other purposes.
The lawmaker also noted that the NIN is issued and managed by the NIMC which was established to manage Nigerians’ identity in government institutions, register individuals and introduce general multipurpose cards.
According to him, the NIN, which matches one’s biometrics, is used for virtually all transactions in Nigeria requiring identity verification.
Agbedi said, “Recently, the Commission started issuing a digital ID card which displays only the name, age and nationality of the holder without displaying the NIN number. The Commission failed to include the NIN to the ID card and it has brought untold hardship to the citizens who, in a bid to retrieve their NIN via shortcodes provided by telecommunications providers, pay for the service.”
Adopting the motion, the lawmakers “urge NIMC to further redesign their national identity cards to carry or reflect NIN.”
July 27, 2022
FG Bars Outgoing Calls on SIM Cards not Linked to NIN
The federal government has barred all outgoing calls on every SIM card that is not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN) of the SIM card owner.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who gave the order Monday to bar outgoing calls on every unliked Subscriber Identification Module (SIM card), also ordered the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, to direct all telecoms operators to begin deactivation of all unlinked SIM cards with immediate effect, insisting that all telecoms subscribers must comply with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy of the federal government.
The federal government however, commended Nigerians for the compliance level in registering and linking their SIM to their NIN, saying that 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication, and that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 million unique NINs till date.
In a statement issued by the federal government and jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde and the Head, Corporate Communications, at NIMC, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Pantami commended Nigerians and legal residents for their support during the exercise to link the National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM).
“As of date, over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication. Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 million unique NINs till date,” Pantami said.
The statement added: “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria. Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022. Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines. Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.
”Pantami thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his tremendous support. He also commended the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Aliyu Abubakar Aziz along with their management and staff, as well as other notable bodies whose efforts have seen to the monumental success of the exercise.
The Minister also extended his thanks to the telecommunication operators for their support towards the success recorded.Pantami said enrolment for NIN would be a continuous exercise and that NIN would henceforth be a precondition for service in Telcos, Banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and for several other government services.He also encouraged Nigerians and legal residents to visit NIN registration centres for the enrollment and issuance of valid NINs.
April 4, 2022
NIN verification service portal fully restored – NIMC
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), on Saturday, announced the full restoration of its National Identification Number (NIN) verification service portal.
The portal went down due to maintenance by one of NIMC’s network service providers.
The downtime of the portal had affected telecommunication companies, banks, and government agencies who rely on NIN before rendering their services.
However, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, announced the restoration of the portal, in a statement he signed.
The Commission urged customers and service providers to take advantage of the restored platform.
According to Adegoke: “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is pleased to announce that the National Identification Number (NIN) Verification Service (NVS) portal, which went down a few days ago due to maintenance by one of the Commission’s network service providers of its infrastructure, has been fully restored.
“Consequently, customers and service providers can now take full advantage of the two verification platforms – Tokenization and NVS – which are both effective for verification and authentication of the National Identification Number.”
NIMC commended Nigerians for their support during the “NVS downtime and use of the tokenisation platform.”
NIMC promised to ensure innovative identity management solutions in its service delivery.
February 13, 2022
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Monday, stated that pre-examination activities, including registration for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination would start late due to issue arising from the National Identification Number
Though the board also defended its decision to enforce the National Identity Number requirement in the registration process.
The spokesman for the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the clarifications in an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja.
“Most of the board’s pre-examination activities, including the 2022 UTME registration, are starting late owing to some circumstances beyond our control. We are, however, ready to do all that is necessary not only to meet up with the schedule, but also to make the 2022 UTME registration and examination the best so far,” he said.
The board stated in its weekly bulletin published on Monday that its decision to implement the NIN was a game-changer in the fight against impersonation.
enjamin said, “The introduction of the NIN in UTME registration in 2021 by the board was a game-changer in the fight against impersonation and other examination infractions. It is to be noted that the decision to adopt the NIN was a very difficult one given the various challenges and opposition from many quarters to the policy.
“However, the board, seeing the many benefits associated with the deployment of the NIN, took the unpopular but beneficial decision, knowing that any departure from the norm would, more often than not, be met with initial opposition and rejection, and was, therefore, understandably undeterred in its chosen course of action.”
January 4, 2022
Senate demands review of NIN requirement for UTME candidates
The Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Education, Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to immediately review the implementation of the policy which makes it compulsory for UTME candidates to provide their National Identity Numbers (NIN) during registration.
The review, according to the upper chamber, should accommodate extending the JAMB registration deadline or suspending the NIN requirement until there is a seamless and well organized process for obtaining the national identity number.
This was one out of two resolutions reached, following a motion considered to that effect on the floor of the Senate during plenary on Tuesday.
Coming under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Rules, sponsor of the motion, Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP, Anambra South) bemoaned the frustrations faced by young Nigerians as a result of the policy introduced by JAMB making it compulsory for candidates to provide the National Identity Number (NIN) during UTME registration.
Describing the requirement as “inconsiderate and premature”, the lawmaker observed that the policy infringes on the rights of young Nigerians to education.
According to him, the requirement locks out majority of candidates from registering for the exams over their failure to meet with the required age that makes it possible for them to obtain the National Identification Number.
“Mr. President, I am constrained to call the attention of this hallowed chamber to the widespread hardship young, promising and cerebral Nigerians are currently facing as a result of the decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) to include the National Identification Number (NIN) as a precondition for registration of UTME candidates in 2021.
“This action is an inconsiderate and premature decision that has further complicated the already rigorous process of both registering for JAMB examination and procuring the NIN.
“It is pertinent to call the attention of this chamber to the fact that JAMB initially attempted to start the implementation of this policy in 2020, but had to postpone it owing to technical problems and irregularities bedeviling the process of obtaining NIN from the National Identity Management Company (NIMC).
“From all indications, these technical hitches are yet to be addressed; the long queues at NIMC centers are a testimony to the fact that a well organized process is yet to be put in place to ease the stressful process of registration.
“Available statistics indicate that in 2020, more than two million candidates registered for JAMB examination.
“Presently, the introduction of NIN threatens to significantly lower the number of registered candidates in 2021 because majority of these candidates are just attaining the age when they can obtain the NIN.
“This is a brazen infringement on the right to education of young Nigerians who may not be able to meet the deadline to obtain their NIN and register for JAMB.
“Mr. President, you would agree with me on the fact this idea, even though innovative in nature should be suspended until the conditions for obtaining NIN improves tremendously.
“The board (JAMB) already has enough logistical and technical problems to tackle. Adding more complications is counter productive and will only serve as a hindrance to young Nigerians desirous of getting into higher institutions to further their education.”
Accordingly, the Senate mandated the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB and NIMC to review the implementation of the policy with a view to extending the JAMB registration deadline or suspending this requirement until there is a seamless and well organized process for obtaining the national identity number.
It also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and NIMC to introduce or streamline a simple and decentralised NIN registration process where students would be able to obtain their NIN in their various accredited school premises.
May 18, 2021
NIN-SIM Linkage Will Cover Our Security Structure, Identify Crooks – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to participate in the ongoing synchronization of National Identification Number (NIN) with SIM cards across the country, as it will provide a digital framework for improving security and strengthening the economy.
The President stated this at the launch of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in Nigerian Telecoms Sector and Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Cards registration in Abuja.
He said “The NIN will cover one of the weaknesses in our security structure. We will be able to easily identify and know the personality of Nigerians. We will identify people easily, including the crooks.’’President Buhari noted that proper identification of all Nigerians and legal residents in the country and the ability to conveniently access a database will provide an impetus for more effective planning and security oversight.
“The launch of the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration was quite timely and will support efforts to enhance security and develop the economy.
“The National Identification Number is the foundational digital ID for the country; both Nigerian citizens and legal residents are expected to obtain the NIN. It will provide access to government services and will give government useful insights that will enable us to utilize scarce resources in a more efficient way,’’ he added.
According to him, the first National SIM Policy was launched in February 2020, and the revised policies were in full alignment with the objectives of the administration in the areas of economic development, security, and anti-corruption.
“The Digital Economy sector has made significant progress and recorded a number of unprecedented achievements since we expanded the mandate of the Ministry of Communications to include the digital economy mandate.
“The Information and Communications Technology sector was the fastest growing sector in both the fourth quarter of 2020 and the entire year 2020, based on the Report by the National Bureau of Statistics.
“The sector’s 14.70 percent double-digit growth rate played a principal role in supporting our country to exit the recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth rate of the sector exceeded four times the next fastest-growing sector of Q4 2020, the ICT Sector which had a growth rate of 3.42 percent. This is truly commendable,’’ the President added.
President Buhari said the digital economy sector provided online options for activities that were hitherto restricted to offline channels while minimizing the disruption to activities of both public and private sectors and reducing the cost of meetings.
He added that the National Policy for Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector was in line with the administration’s commitment towards ensuring that Nigerians become active participants in the different sectors of the economy, including the telecommunications sector.
“The Federal Government embraced institutionalizing online meetings through the approval of the National Policy on Virtual Engagements in Federal Public Institutions. As a result of this, we now have virtual Federal Executive Council, virtual Council of State and virtual National Economic Council meetings, among others, even though this development was triggered by COVID-19,’’ he said.
“As a country, our desire to produce what we eat, and consume what we produce is not limited to the literal meaning; rather we want to work towards being self-sufficient in every sector of the economy. For the telecom sector, we want Nigerians to play a major role in the design and manufacture of devices, in meeting the manpower requirements and in becoming an active part of the telecommunications ecosystem of the country.
“The policy aims to achieve this and I have earlier directed the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, to develop the structure for its implementation and forward this to the Nigerian Communications Commission to implement. We are confident that the execution of the Policy will further enhance our economy and lead to the creation of jobs,’’ the President noted.
President Buhari said there had been many futile attempts to promote the use of digital identity in the past: “Previous attempts have been unsuccessful due to a number of reasons, including sabotage. Our focused approach shows that this administration is dedicated to ensuring that we derive the benefits of a secure and robust digital identity system.’’
He assured that his administration was fully committed to the safety of Nigerians and linking the SIM to NIN will significantly enhance security, aid in national planning and budget preparations.
In his remarks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy appreciated the President for the continuous support to the telecoms sector, including regulators and operators, thanking him for the keen interest in ensuring that the security sector gets a boost with more information on Nigerians and legal residents.
The minister noted that the NIN Registration had recorded a huge success with 54 million Nigerians already captured in the process, adding, “within six months over 12 million enrolled.’’
Dr Pantami said it was now possible to have virtual ID cards that can be used in various transactions, assuring that the NIN and Sim card registration for Nigerians and legal residents will cover 99.9 percent.
He said the buoyancy of the telecoms sector had given Nigeria many leadership roles in international organisations, listing the impact on education, training, health, and welfare of many, including the establishment of 600 computer centres, and a world class sim card manufacturing company in the country.
May 6, 2021
Over 51 Million Nigerians Have Enrolled For NIN – Minister
No fewer than 51 million Nigerians have enrolled for the National Identity Number (NIN), the Federal Government has said.
The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents.
He spoke at the sixth edition of the ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team at the Presidential Villa in the nation’s capital.
Pantami warned that while the failure to obtain the NIN could lead to between seven and 14 years imprisonment for Nigerians as stipulated by the Constitution, no one should enjoy government services without the number.
He stressed that although obtaining a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card was optional, it was mandatory for all citizens to enroll for the NIN.
The minister stated that it was important for transactions in the country to be conducted with the NIN.
He believes rather than the population census which can be manipulated, NIN will determine the accurate number of Nigerians because of its uniqueness and tamper-proof.
Pantami equally announced that the aggregate registration for SIM across the country has hit 189 million
He explained that out of the figure, 150 million are completed registration while the remaining have problems of improper registration.
The minister decried that improper registration of SIMs has posed a challenge and the government has begun to address them.
April 1, 2021