National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has clarified that Nigerians will not be required to pay the new N28,574 fee for correcting their date of birth (DOB) on the National Identification Number (NIN) database records if the error originated from the commission or its agents during registration.
This clarification follows public concern and legal scrutiny by the Data Privacy Lawyers Association of Nigeria (DPLAN), which accused NIMC of attempting to impose the increased fee on all applicants, regardless of fault.
The new charge, representing a 75 per cent hike from the previous N16,340, was part of a revised price list released on May 10.
Head of NIMC’s Legal Regulatory Compliance Service Department, Festus Esangbedo, in a letter, confirmed that the N28,574 fee applies solely to voluntary DOB changes initiated by individuals presenting new documentation, and does not cover corrections for errors made by the commission or its agents.
“The Commission applies a fault-based approach: errors attributable to NIMC or its agents are corrected free of charge, while modifications requested by applicants based on new documentation are subject to fees,” Esangbedo said.
He explained that NIMC’s current self-service system includes multiple verification stages to minimise registration errors. These, he said, includes automated validation of the National Population Commission (NPC) birth certificate number, which auto-fills the DOB field, and a final review screen for applicants to confirm all data before submission.
The clarification was issued in response to a May 12 letter from DPLAN, in which its Director of Policy, Barrister Oladipupo Ige, warned that the commission risked violating the country’s data protection laws by applying the same fee to all applicants, regardless of who caused the error. He said NIMC’s failure to disclose exemptions for fee waivers was inconsistent with Article 36 of the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025, which governs data rectification rights.
He said: “Section 4 of Article 36 states clearly that where the error was caused by the data controller, in this case, NIMC—the data subject should not pay. It’s illegal and unfair to demand N28,000 from someone to fix a mistake they didn’t make.”
He emphasised that the Commission is within its rights to charge for voluntary data modifications, but not for corrections of mistakes it made. Ige also called for greater transparency to ensure citizens are aware of their rights.
In response, NIMC reaffirmed its legal compliance and said that free correction is standard practice once an error made by its officials or partners is brought to its attention.
“This aligns with our obligations under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023. Where errors occur due to our fault or that of our agents, we provide immediate remediation at no cost,” Esangbedo noted.
Additionally, he defended the increased fees for voluntary changes, saying they reflect legitimate service charges and help support infrastructure maintenance, fraud prevention, and service delivery, stating: “The fees represent value-added services and are essential for maintaining service quality.”
According to NIMC’s internal communication, the upward review of fees was influenced by inflation—currently at 32.70 per cent, and the need to harmonise charges with other government agencies like the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Federal Road Safety Corps, which offer similar services. The Commission said the pricing update also aims to boost revenue, support social intervention efforts, and cover the cost of newly introduced products.
“Following consultations with all departments and considering inflation at 32.70 per cent, we propose an upward review of fees and charges with at least a 20 per cent markup, except for services with peculiarities,” the memo stated.
The Commission stressed that it remains committed to the public interest and will continue to offer redress for its own errors at no cost to Nigerians.
