NIN: No specific time frame for all to be enrolled – NIMC D-G

There is no limited or specific time frame for all Nigerians to be enrolled and issued the National Identity Number, National Identity Management Commission, has said.
The Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday.
Aziz said: “Even after enrolling all citizens, there will be new ones such as new born babies.
“According to a recent World Bank report, Nigeria adds seven million into the population every year.
“This means that there will always be enrollment yearly, and the commission is poised to carry out its mandate to the letter.’’
He said that NIMC had maintained active presence with enrollment centres in more than 930 locations across Nigeria’s 774 LGAs.
He said: “We are working to open more enrollment centres and taking enrollment closer to the people.”
He said that enrollment for NIN was a national call to all citizens, adding that NIMC was still focused on its target of enrolling additional 50 million people by the end of 2018.
Aziz said that NIMC was determined to deliver a world-class identity ecosystem for Nigeria.
He said: “The focus of NIMC for the next three to five years is on the NIN and not on the National e-ID Card; this is to make NIN understandable, acceptable, applicable and appreciated by Nigerians.
“This is because it is an important and intrinsic aspect of their entire lives, rather than a physical card, which can be discarded.
“Before now, we were focused on the card but after the country went into recession, we decided to emulate developed countries which issues social security numbers.
“This does not mean that we will not issue the cards; it is in the NIMC Act, 2007 that we should issue a general multipurpose card to all registered Nigerians.”
He said that the commission had data of about 30.5 million people, with the figure growing daily.
He said that the gradual acceptance of the NIN as a means of identification by partners and stakeholders increased the figure daily.
He said: “For examples, organisations such as Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory Administration, etc, have all made NIN a mandatory requirement for service delivery.
“Others are expected to follow suit; on our part, we have commenced aggressive and massive awareness campaign in all the states and the FCT to mobilise people for enrollment.”
He called on Nigerians to enroll in the general interest of the society.