The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NIN

  • Nigerians urged to register for National ID Card

    Nigerians urged to register for National ID Card

    The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, has called on all eligible Nigerians to register with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to obtain the national electronic identity card.

    Onanuga made this call when he visited the commission’s Acting General Manager, Operations/Regional Coordinator, North Central, Mrs. Florence Oloruntade, on Thursday in Abuja.

    He urged all eligible Nigerians to register without further delay to avail themselves of the benefits available in obtaining the card.

    He noted that the importance of the card cannot be overemphasised as one would hardly transact any government or other business these days without such identification, adding that the card identifies one for life.

    While responding, Oloruntade explained that the National Identity Number(NIN) is the most important token issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria for citizens and legal residents to assert their identities.

    She said Nigerians should note that the NIN, which is issued after successful enrolment on a slip, is the foundational identity of the holder stored on the National Identity Database.

    “The NIN can be verified and authenticated by institutions and persons in both the public and private sectors, using the verifications and authentication platform already deployed by the Commission.

    “The NIN verification portal has been deployed for banks and other service providers to take advantage for the purpose of ease of doing business,” she said.

    She disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has also directed the banks accordingly on the database.

    She further advised Nigerians who have lost their NIN slip to visit the nearest NIMC state office and request for a reprint, which will only cost N500 deposit into the government’s coffer.

    Oloruntade also said that Nigerians can make use of the Commission’s website to check the status of their National e-ID Card.

    “What you have to do is to login to the web portal and follow the link.

    “Click the proceed button, fill in your First Name, Last Name and the last 6-digits of your NIN.”

    She further disclosed that the NIMC is partnering the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry to enroll all participants who will attend the 12th Abuja International Trade Fair, 2017, and issue them the National Identification Number (NIN).

    She, therefore, urged participants and visitors who will be at the fair to take advantage of the opportunity to enroll at the NIMC enrolment stand.

    “Enroll for the NIN today, and be identified for life,” she added.

  • The NIN ultimatum

    •Has Federal Government finally woken up to the single database challenge?

    One of the greatest advantages of the digital age is that it has afforded man the added advantage of capturing citizens in databases. Every serious, upward-looking country or even company today has managed to build a single, all-encompassing database for its citizens, residents and employees. In fact, to run any country today without a comprehensive biometric data base would seem as primitive as doing so without a census.

    It must be valid to state that one of the major impediments to Nigeria’s development and growth is the inability to set up her social planning platforms since independence. For instance, Nigeria has not been able to conduct an acceptable population census since independence in 1960; she has depended on approximations and sometimes wild extrapolations which may be far removed from reality. This of course is inimical to socio-economic planning and growth.

    If an absence of accurate census figures can be regarded as Nigeria’s Achilles heel, the lack of a biometric database in this electronic age would be something close to living with a total power outage. Just like the census, the quest for a national identity scheme for the country and identification card and number for the citizenry also predates the independence. The Federal Government had made numerous attempts to capture her citizens in manageable data compartments in the last five decades or more without satisfactory results yet.

    This is why we think the ultimatum by government giving January 1, 2018, as deadline for Nigerians to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) or forfeit the right to renew or acquire new international passport is a welcome move. The objective is not only to further drive national identity card initiative being currently handled by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) but to actualise the migration to a single database status.

    The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babadede, had disclosed the new directive last week after a meeting of the Database Harmonisation Committee of the Federal Government. Even foreigners are not exempt from the NIN deadline as they would not be able to renew residence permits after due date. It is also expected that various databases littering the electronic landscape will be collapsed into one national database by that target date.

    It is a tough task indeed and we hope that the government would meet her own target. So far, the NIMC has only managed to capture about 20 million Nigerians and about 180 million will be expected in the central database in three years, it is stated.

    Currently, there are over a dozen electronic platforms capturing biometric data of citizens; there is the Permanent Voters’ Registration card by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the Bank Verification Number by the Central Bank of Nigeria; SIM card registration; birth registration; drivers’ licence, to mention a few.

    The importance of a central database system in modern governance cannot be overemphasised: from an improved security tracking to traffic control, economic forecasting and budget planning. There are also financial transactions like banking, insurance and stock broking, among others.

    While every measure to enhance Nigeria’s crucial database is welcome, we urge the NIMC to raise its game and improve the speed of penetration. The rate of registration for a project that started effectively about six years ago is rather slow. Apart from further spreading registration points, there is need to increase awareness and publicity to lead Nigerians to the registration points.

    It is our prayer that a journey which started in 1963, through 1979 to 2004 and finally 2013 would eventually come to a fruitful ending as so much resources and sweat have been invested in forging a viable national database over the decades.

     

  • NIMC postpones mandatory NIN use

    NIMC postpones mandatory NIN use

    • Mulls smart enrolment

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has postponed the date for the commencement of the mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN), from September 1, this year to January 9, next year.

    The Commission had earlier directed that all transactions involving the identification of individuals as specified in Section 27 of NIMC Act, must be done with the NIN beginning from September 1, this year.

    Its General Manager, Corporate Communications, Abdulhamid Umar said the extension of the September date is sequel to the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should expeditiously harmonise their biometric databases.

    The extension would enable the Commission to progress further on ongoing efforts with the MDAs that have reached advanced stages of harmonisation with NIMC including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Safety Commission (FRSC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Pension Commission (PenCom), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

    This would help avoid situation similar to what was experienced when the CBN wanted to enforce the terminal date for the bank verification number (BVN), leading to a late rush to meet the deadline/massive turn out of citizens and the troubles they had to go through.

    It would also help ensure that the need for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this transition period when the harmonisation is being implemented.

    Furthermore NIMC management has taken into consideration the fact that the CBN had extended by a few months, the deadline for the completion of the BVN exercise thus extending the time frame for the completion of the harmonization it has begun with the CBN on the BVN programme.

    It is expected that with the planned harmonisation which will effectively link all MDA biometric databases – INEC, FRSC, PenCom, FIRS/JTB, NHIS, FMARD and others, citizens will not be required to have their biometrics taken every time by these institutions in the near future.

    Also the MDAs will invariably act as valid agents to the NIMC, collecting their own data as well as providing data required for the issuance of the NIN by the NIMC, based on the minimum national standards for biometric and demographic data capture already set by the MDAs.

  • ‘New ID number for global identity’

    ‘New ID number for global identity’

    The 11-digit National Identification Number (NIN) given to Nigerians and legal residents, after successful enrolment, reveals the identity of every Nigerian anywhere, it has been learnt.

    A statement by the Director, Corporate Communications of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Anthony Okwudiafor, said the new identification system is different from the previous ordinary photo card issuance.

    The statement said: “NIN is the individual’s identity and the numbers are what will be used for authentication and verification through a sub-system.

    “The unique smart card, which will be issued to all those who have registered and collected their NIN, is unique. This is because it is a chip-based card and 100 per cent poly carbonate with 18 security features of international standard. The card also has 13 applications, including a payment solution, a match-on-card and an e-PRI.

    “(The) NIN enrolment is a continuous exercise from Monday to Friday with additional pre-enrolment portal which allows individuals to pre-enrol through the portal (www.ninenrol.gov.ng) that is capable of serving over one million pre-registration a day.

    “On-line pre-enrolment allows applicants to input their demographic data and print out the pre-registration slip, which has a 2D Barcode and proceed to any nearest NIMC enrolment centre to capture their biometrics and electronic signature. This completes the process with the issuance or the National Identification Number (NIN) and a tracking ID number…”

    “The NIMS project is focused on identity management, which is real-time live processing of data from every location. (It is) in line with the international standards – International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the largest professional association for the advancement of technology, the IEEE, among others. It ensures best global practices, unlike the previous schemes where the personal information of individuals were collected, stored and then processed later.”

    Okwudiafor listed the benefits of the NIMS project, including providing a convenient and simplified process for enrolment into the National Identity Management System.

    He said the National Identification Number (NIN) would protect individuals from identity theft and fraud by providing a simple, reliable, sustainable and universally acceptable means of conforming individual’s identity at all.

    The system would make it difficult for criminals to use false or multiple or ghost identities, he said.

    The director added that the system would also enhance the work of law enforcement agencies.

     

  • NIMC partners ALGON on NIN enrolment in rural areas

    NIMC partners ALGON on NIN enrolment in rural areas

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has solicited the support of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) to establish enrolment centres in the 774 local governments for effective grassroots National Identity Number (NIN) registration.

    NIMC Director-General Chris Onyemenam made the call during the first Local Government Areas (LGAs) Summit on the National Identity Management System (NIMS) yesterday in Abuja.

    He said NIMC will soon set up the centres and kick off local government NIN enrolment.

    According to Onyemenam, “NIMC is calling for collaboration and partnership of the ALGON because there is need to upgrade the nation’s database and records, if we don’t do this we can never have up to date national identity management system.”

    He added that if the country has “no way of telling the identity of an individual and affirming that identity, we will not be able to collect government revenues properly both at Federal, State and local government levels and we would not be able to wage a good war against crime and criminal activities especially those that are related with identity of an individual.”

    He said “the journey of carrying out massive local government NIN enrolment can only be a success with the effective and collaborative cooperation of Local Government Chairmen in partnership with NIMC.

    Chief Nwabueze, who is the leader of the delegation said, the summit has been grouped into three zones with Abuja to cover the Northeast, Northwest; Lagos to cover Southwest and while Asaba will cover Southsouth.

    The arrangement, he said, is to allow the summit cover the zones and eliminate challenges that might come up if chairmen gather in one hall for such a meeting.

    “It is good that NIMC took this bold step, knowing that using ALGON will record good success in NIN registration,” he said.

  • Commission begins civic registration

    Commission begins civic registration

    Poised to register Nigerian nationals and legal residents in the country, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has opened 25 points at Alausa Secretariat, Lagos, to kick-start the registration, which selling point is the inimitable National Identification Number (NIN).

    The commission’s Lagos State Coordinator, Mr J.A. Durojaiyem who captured the scheme’s slogan, Register Once, be Identified for Life, said government was more concerned about identity management.

    “This time around, government is more concerned about identity management. When you get registered, you will be given a pin number immediately. That is your National Identification Number (NIN) which is not transferable. The card will come later. The number and other identities pertaining to you will be fed into a data base. As soon as you attain 16 years, you are eligible to register.”

    According to him, with the NIN, information about an individual can be accessed anytime it is required. He explained that even in death, the number would not be transferred to another person. He urged Nigerians to avail themselves of the exercise and enjoy the accruable benefits.

    However, the Commission is not oblivious of the seeming challenge of public apathy to the exercise. It would be recalled that many Nigerians were shut out of the previous exercise by no choice of theirs. It is also not an understatement that many eligible Nigerians who failed to obtain the card are yet to overcome the denial. Inasmuch as the current exercise has guarded against such slips, the Commission is not resting on its oars.

    Recently, NIMC campaign team stormed Iyana Ejigbo in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Lagos State to sensitise the residents, comprising traders, artisans, commercial bus drivers, okada riders and others about the scheme.

    Expectedly, officials of the commission were given a rousing welcome despite arriving the venue at the peak of trading. With the Iyaloja, (Market leader), Chief (Mrs) Medinat Samsudeen and the Vice Chairman, NURTW, Ejigbo-Isolo chapter, Mr Hakeem Aregbe as  mobilisers,  the market women and their male counterparts left their stalls to receive the ‘good news’. They gave varying accounts of their experiences during the previous exercise. For instance, Mrs Janet Toriola, a food seller, recalled the pains she went through in her effort to get the national ID card. ‘I left Ejigbo and went as far as Ahmadiya, when I learnt that people were getting registered there. At the end of the day, I didn’t get the card.” Toriola’s plight was not different from that of the Head of the Provisions unit of the market, Mr. Chike Nwokedi, who also recounted instances when the old national identity card would have come in handy when asked to produce a means of identification. Many times, he had been left stranded because of that.

    To allay their fears, NIMC State Coordinator assured them that nobody would be shut out of the ongoing registration since the National Identity Management System (NIMS) is not going to be a one-off thing unlike the previous one. “It is not going to be an ad hoc thing any longer where you would give deadline for registration. Every day, people turn 16 which is the benchmark age…That is why our slogan is ‘register once and be identified for life.’ We also have a plan to go to the hinterlands very soon,” he said.

    Present at the awareness campaign were the representative of the Elejigbo of Ejigbo, Chief Adekunle Adenuga, a delegation of the okada riders union, market associations among others.