The Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote said the Commission has issued the National Identification Number (NIN) to 115 million Nigerians and legal residents.
The DG disclosed this in Lagos on Friday during a Media Roundtable, marking her one year in office.
As of December 2023, the NIMC database showed that issued NINs stood at 104.16 million. This indicates that over 10 million NINs have been issued so far this year.
“At the moment, our total registration figure stands at 115 million in terms of NIN issued to Nigerians and legal residents in Nigeria,” she said.
NIN is a necessity for Nigerians
Emphasizing the importance of the ID number to Nigerians, Coker-Odusote said the NIN is increasingly serving as a critical enabler for accessing services from linking SIM cards to issuing international passports, driver licenses, and examination registrations.
- She added that NIN is also ensuring efficient service delivery while enhancing social protection programs.
- According to her, the NIN is a bedrock foundation for driving socio-economic growth, promoting financial inclusion, and enabling access to services across key areas like health, agriculture, education and so on.
Securing the data
The NIMC DG said the passage of the Data Protection Act and the establishment of the Data Protection Commission (NDPC) now guarantees a secure environment for digital data handling.
She said this means that the digital rights of citizens have been protected.
The DG added that NIMC’s identity management system has also undergone a comprehensive overhaul, setting new standards for security, efficiency, and reliability.
“Our advancements include the introduction of multi-factor authentication and on-device application, which ensures data integrity and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.
“Offline AI-powered biometrics to ensure that we’re able to capture enrollment in real-time and reduce the processing time for enrolment,” she said.
Enrollment agents
To drive enrolment in rural areas and break barriers for under-served populations., the NIMC DG said the Commission is deploying more enrolment agents across the country.
- Coker-Odusote also spoke on the NIMC Act 2007, which has been amended and is currently waiting for its third reading at the National Assembly.
- She noted that one of the reasons the Act was amended was to reflect the Data Protection Act of 2023, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law upon resumption at his office last year.
- She pointed out that the NIMC Act and related legislation have been amended to align with contemporary standards and provide a sturdy legal framework for a robust IT system.
What you should know: While Nigeria’s attempt to capture all its citizens in the NIN database had suffered setbacks in the past, the government has been able to force many Nigerians to now register for the number as it has become a major requirement for all government services including driver’s licence, international passport, among others.
The introduction of the NIN-SIM policy has also made it mandatory for anyone using telecommunication services in the country to have a national ID number.
