The issuing authority for National
Identification Number, the National Identity Management Commission, has
shifted the date for the commencement of the mandatory use of the
National Indentity Number, from September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016.
The commission had earlier directed that
all transactions involving the identification of individuals as
specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, must be done with the NIN
beginning from September 1, 2015.
The extension of the September date
follows the recent directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that all
Ministries, Departments and Agencies should expeditiously harmonise
their biometric databases.
It was gathered that the extension would
enable the commission to consolidate on ongoing efforts with the MDAs
that have reached advanced stages of harmonisation with NIMC.
“This
would help avoid the situation similar to what was experienced when the
CBN wanted to enforce the cut-off date for the Bank Verification
Number, leading to a late rush to meet the deadline/massive turnout of
citizens and the troubles they had to go through.
“It would also help ensure that the need
for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this
transition period when the harmonisation is being implemented,” a
statement from the NIMC read.
It added that management had taken into
consideration the fact that the CBN had extended by a few months the
deadline for the completion of the BVN, thus extending the period for
the completion of the harmonisation it had begun with the CBN on the BVN
programme.
It is expected that with the planned
harmonisation which will effectively link all MDA biometric databases –
INEC, FRSC, PenCom, FIRS/JTB, NHIS, FMARD, etc, citizens will not be
required to have their biometrics taken every time by these institutions
in the near future.
Also the NIMC said that MDAs would
“invariably act as valid agents to the NIMC, collecting their own data
as well as providing data required for the issuance of the NIN by the
NIMC, based on the minimum national standards for biometric and
demographic data capture already set by the MDAs.”
The commission added that it had concluded plans to provide pre-enrolment services on smartphones.
“This will ensure that citizens can start
their enrolment using their smartphones, a development that will ensure
that in the next couple of months, citizens of all ages would have
completed their demographic enrolment before they proceed to NIMC
enrolment centres for their biometric data capture to complete their
enrolment,” the statement read.
It also read, “Management believes that
this will help to decongest the enrolment centres as well as ensure that
citizens enrol at their convenience as the cut-off date draws nearer.”
It will be recalled that a few months
ago, the NIMC had announced that it would start to enforce the use of
the NIN by citizens in the conduct of certain transactions as specified
in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, 2007.
But the need to complete the initiation
of the process of harmonisation, to ensure that at least legacy
databases of MDAs are linked is an important process.
The NIN is an 11-digit number assigned to
an individual upon successful enrolment into the National Identity
Database. It is what represents the unique entry of a person’s personal
information in the National Identity Database. Once issued to an
individual, that number cannot be used again.
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