The NIMC plans to introduce a NIN registration app for immigrant Nigerians. The Technical Adviser to the Director General of NIMC on Media and Communications, Ayodele Babalola, stated this.
The NIMC DG, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, announced this intention during a strategic meeting at the office of NIDCOM Chairman/CEO Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa on the following day during a courtesy visit, Babalola said.
An easy-to-use self-service software would allow Nigerians abroad to enrol for their National Identification Number (NIN), the statement said. In February 2024, the app launched.
NIMC DG stated the planned self-service software would make obtaining National Identification Numbers (NIN) in the diaspora frictionless and straightforward.
Read also: Challenges and Solutions in Nigeria’s National Identification Project
“A dedicated Diaspora Focal Point Desk will be established at the NIMC Office to resolve issues within 24 hours. The agency’s customer-centric strategy seeks to serve Nigerians abroad efficiently in line with its commitment to quality service—part of the statement.
The NIMC DG added that the new app enabling diaspora Nigerians to register in the NIN database supports her goal of improving service delivery and making it easier for Nigerians overseas.
NIDCOM Chairman Dabiri-Erewa thanked the NIMC delegation for the unique solution, and Engr. Coker-Odusote for his forward-thinking strategy.
She stressed the new system’s potential to integrate NIN with international passports for Nigerians abroad quickly.
The strategic alliance is a milestone in using technology to improve Diaspora Nigerians’ access to crucial identification services, she says.
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The Nigerian Identity Management Commission has been populating the NIN database since its launch. The NIN database only contains 104.16 million Nigerians, according to reports —about half the nation’s population.
These efforts and threats toforce Nigerians to register for NIN numbers have failed. They include making the NIN number required for national documents like the Nigerian passport. Mobile connectivity and applicants for national exams like WAEC and JAMB need the numbers.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) required banks to electronically revalidate and link Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) to consumers’ NINs by January 31, 2024.
Despite this push to build the NIN database, the NIMC has banned Front-End Partners (FEPs) from enrolling candidates. As part of a revalidation effort to clean up enrollment and pay these agents, the suspension was imposed. Coker-Odusote stressed that this programme ensures identity database data integrity rather than targeting a group.
The NIMC DG said the interim stop would allow the commission to assess FEP claims for data security compliance. The stepwise revalidation exercise addresses debts inherited by the current government, including problematic invoices and claims.
Since enrolment in Nigeria is slowing, the NIMC is boldly extending the procedure to Nigerians abroad. If this software could make the procedure easier for Nigerians abroad, why wasn’t it offered for Nigerians in Nigeria instead of third-party agents, many of whom gained a lot of money at the expense of the masses?