Nigeria digital ID issuance hits 70M, feat pegged on multi-stakeholder collaboration

The National Identity Management Commission of Nigeria (NIMC) says wide collaboration from the chain of digital identity stakeholders in the country is reason for the steady progress recorded in the issuance of the national identification number (NIN) which now stands at 70 million, reports Nigerian Tribune.

A statement issued by NIMC Head of Corporate Communication Kayode Adegoke also reveals that to date, there have been at least 15 million downloads of the NIMC mobile app which was launched recently to enable citizens verify their biometrics-backed NINs and link them to their SIM cards.

“The Commission is happy to announce that fifteen million (15 million) users have downloaded the recently launched NIMC Mobile App. The NIMC Mobile App allows users to digitally verify their NINs, link their NINs to the SIM (up to seven numbers) and print the improved NIN slip from the comfort of their homes/offices,” Nigerian Tribune quoted a portion of the NIMC statement.

The app, the statement mentions, was part of three digital innovations launched by President Muhammadu Buhari (the other two being tokenization and the contactless enrollment solution) all intended to drive the digital economy policy of the federal government through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

In the statement, NIMC also pledged to continue to work in order to improve its digital identity services offering to all Nigerians.

NIMC Director General Aliyu Aziz last month restated the desire of the federal government to reach its 200 million target for the NIN issuance.

The government also recently choose telco 9Mobile to enroll at least 10 million Nigerians living in rural areas for the digital ID scheme, in a bid to solve a problem which the NIMC has struggled with for a long time.

Students urged to register ahead of exams

Meanwhile, as the push for many more Nigerians to get the NIN continues, authorities of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have called on candidates planning to register for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) in 2022 to begin procuring their digital IDs ahead of time, Vanguard writes, citing recent information in an edition of JAMB’s weekly bulletin.

The call comes as the body says it plans to soon launch the sale of application forms for the exams.

JAMB made the NIN a prerequisite for UTME exams registration this year, saying it was a measure aimed at fighting certain examination irregularities such as impersonation.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  |  National Identity Number (NIN)  |  Nigeria