Nigerian telco 9Mobile to enroll biometrics of 10M rural residents for national ID

Nigeria’s federal government has appointed 9Mobile to register at least 10 million people living in rural areas for national identity numbers (NINs), reports Nairametrics, which entails enrolling their biometrics.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been struggling for years to register the population, although collaborations with mobile operators have proven successful, such as with Airtel Nigeria.

Figures from November 2021 showed that at least 66 million people had completed the enrollment of their biometrics and been issued with NINs, of a population of upwards of 207 million.

Also, in his own remarks at the event, 9mobile’s Director of Sales stressed the need for ongoing engagement with stakeholders to strengthen the nation’s identity management process.

“9mobile will be sharing resources with NIMC to improve the process of service delivery,” commented Oluwatosin Olulana, director of sales at 9mobile.

“In addition, mobile connectivity will also be made available for the next six months to aid the virtual working process. We are currently arranging to provide up to 20Mbps fiber connectivity for NIMC office use. We believe providing the necessary infrastructure will enable the commission to deliver on its mandate in the interest of the country.’’

Speaking at the same stakeholder engagement workshop arranged by 9Mobile and NIMC in the federal capital Abuja, the agency’s director, Dr. Aliyu Aziz conveyed his sentiments via his representative, Dr. Umar Ba: “NIMC cannot do it alone, and as such, we will continue to seek for collaboration from stakeholders and particularly from 9mobile, one of our most trusted allies.’’

No financial details or timeframe for the deal are available.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  Nigeria