The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced its plans to launch an NIN registration app for Nigerians in the diaspora. This was revealed in a statement signed by the Technical Adviser to the Director General of NIMC on Media and Communications, Ayodele Babalola.
Babalola said that the NIMC DG, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote announced this plan during a strategic meeting at the office of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Chairman/CEO Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa during a courtesy visit on Monday.
According to the statement, the new app will allow Nigerians in the diaspora to seamlessly enrol for their National Identification Number (NIN) through a user-friendly self-service application. The app will go live in February 2024.
Shedding more light on the upcoming self-service app, the NIMC DG said it would provide a contactless and seamless experience for Nigerians in the diaspora seeking to obtain their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
“As part of the process, a dedicated Diaspora Focal Point Desk will be established at the NIMC Office to ensure swift resolution of issues within 24 hours. This customer-centric approach aims to provide efficient support to Nigerians abroad in line with the agency’s commitment to quality service delivery.” the statement reads in part.
The NIMC DG further emphasized that the new app for registration of Nigerians in the diaspora into the NIN database aligns with her commitment to enhancing service delivery and creating a hassle-free system for Nigerians abroad.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of NIDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa expressed gratitude to the NIMC delegation for the innovative solution while acknowledging the forward-thinking strategy adopted by Engr. Coker-Odusote.
She further highlighted the significance of the new system, emphasizing its capability to easily link NIN with international passports for Nigerians residing outside the country.
According to her, the strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in leveraging technology to enhance the accessibility of critical identity services for Nigerians in the Diaspora.
NIMC targeting Nigerians in the diaspora to populate NIN database
Since its introduction, the Nigerian Identity Management Commission has been on a drive to populate the NIN database. According to a Nairametrics report, only about 104.16 million Nigerians have been captured in the NIN database. This is roughly half of the country’s population.
This is despite various means and threats employed to coerce Nigerians to register for the NIN numbers. They include making the NIN number a requisite for obtaining various national documents like the Nigerian passport. It is also required for mobile connectivity while students looking to apply for national examinations like WAEC and JAMB are also required to obtain the numbers.
More recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered banks to commence the electronic revalidation of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and linking them with customers’ NIN by January 31, 2024.
Despite this drive to populate the NIN database, the NIMC recently suspended third-party agents known as Front-End Partners (FEPs) from participating in NIN enrolments. The suspension is part of a broader revalidation exercise aimed at cleansing the enrollment process and addressing outstanding debts owed to these agents. Coker-Odusote emphasized that this initiative focuses on ensuring data integrity in the country’s identity database rather than targeting a specific group.
According to the NIMC DG, with the temporary halt, the commission aims to conduct a thorough audit of claims made by FEPs, ensuring compliance with the highest data security standards. The phased revalidation exercise intends to address debts inherited by the current administration, some linked to questionable invoices and claims.
With the enrolment appearing to slow down in Nigeria, the NIMC is making a bold move to extend the exercise to Nigerians in the diaspora. The question, however, if the process could be made easy for Nigerians abroad through this app, why wasn’t this introduced for Nigerians in Nigeria, rather than third-party agents, many of whom made a lot of money at the expense of the masses?
See also: Isa Pantami accuses security operatives of not utilising NIN-SIM database in crime-fighting
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