The Federal Government has directed the suspension of staff members involved in the extortion of applicants at the NIMC Bauchi and Kaduna State offices.
This directive was made by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, according to the press statement issued by Kayode Adegoke, the Head of Corporate Communications, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
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Dr Pantami in the statement reiterated that the disgraceful actions of these staff, if allowed to fester and not nipped in the bud by taking stiffer actions against the culprits, have the potency of derailing the SIM-NIN Integration project.
He emphasized that the enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) is free of charge and on no occasion should anyone pay to obtain an enrolment form or to have their biometrics captured.
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The Minister tasked all personnel involved in the enrolment and NIN issuance exercise to carry out their respective duties professionally, fairly and with integrity, as the Ministry will continue to maintain its zero-tolerance stance on extortion, bribery and corruption.
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What you should know
- A lot of allegations had been lashed out at NIMC staff and key workers at the enrolment centres in recent times on cases of extortions, bribery and intimidation as Nigerians troop out en masse to obtain their National Identification Number, to avoid being blocked by their Network Providers.
- It is important to note that the recent decision of the Minister to suspend workers caught perpetrating these fraudulent activities came on the heels of public outcry that some personnel of NIMC, particularly at some enrolment centers in Bauchi and Kaduna were capitalizing on the rush for NIN by the public.
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Going forward
In the light of the recent development across enrolment centers and NIMC offices, the Minister has called on the general public to assist the Government, by sending proof of any nefarious activity within and around the centers.
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