More Nigerians get identification numbers as NIN issuance hits 95m

•NIMC added 21.3m new enrollees to database in 2022
•Lagos leads with 10.5 million enrollees as 53m men are identified

More Nigerians have been identified and added to the national database as the figure of National Identification Number (NIN), issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) rose to 95 million, according to latest data.

According to data obtained from the NIMC, the commission was able to enroll 21.3 million people to the database in 2022, which made the country close last year with 94,037.793. Notably, as of January 2022, the number of NIN issued was 72,700,360.

However, in the first 22 days of 2023, NIMC has added 1,040,124 new NINs to the database, which puts the current figure at 95, 077, 917.

Despite the teething problems the exercise has been facing in the last two years, NIMC has enrolled 53,677,001 men, representing 56 per cent of the NINs issued, while enrolled women till Monday were 41,400,916, which is 46 per cent.

Expectedly, Lagos State has the highest issued NINs with 10.51 million. Kano is next with 8.3 million; Kaduna 5.6 million; Ogun 3.9 million; Oyo 3.7 million; Abuja 3.29 million; Katsina 3.27 million; Rivers 2.86 million; Bauchi 2.58 million and Delta 2.54 million.

NIMC listed the 10 bottom states to include Kogi 1.64 million; Akwa Ibom 1.62 million; Imo 1.59 million; Enugu 1.53 million; Yobe 1.44 million; Taraba 1.40 million; Cross River 1.08 million; Ekiti 982,264; Ebonyi 762,993 and Bayelsa 602, 705.

While the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy enforced the NIN registration in December 2020, enrolment for people in the Diaspora also increased with NIMC putting the current figure at 335,353.

At the peak of the exercise, there were over 4,000 enrolment centres spread across the country, the numbers have reduced drastically with concentrations now on NIMC offices, which are still besieged by crowds for registrations, collections and corrections to their NINs, while there are still some pockets of extortions at some designated centres.

Interestingly, as of 2019, when Prof. Isa Pantami became the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, checks by The Guardian showed that of the estimated 203 million Nigerians then, only about 40 million had NIN. However, between 2019 and January 2023, the figure rose to 95 million, which is an addition of 45 million new NINs issued by the NIMC.

Recall that while NIN was deployed in 2012, the Federal Government through NIMC mandated September 1, 2015, as the commencement date in which all transactions involving the identification of individuals must be done with the NIN.

These transactions, pursuant to section 27 (1) and (2) of the NIMC Act, 2007 include: application for, and issuance of an International Passport; opening of individual and/or group bank accounts, all consumer credits; purchase of insurance policies; the purchase, transfer and registration of land by any individual; National Health Insurance Scheme, such transactions that have social security implications, registration of voters, payment of taxes, and pensions, among others.