NIMC partners World Bank, EU to register every citizen

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is partnering the World Bank and other international organisations to ensure the registration of all Nigerians, by birth or naturalisation.

The Director-General, Aziz Aliyu, told The Guardian in Abuja that the Federal Government had already given the commission its nod on the issue.

Aliyu emphasised the need for Nigerians not to be fixated on the national identity card, but to get the National Identification Number (NIN).

“If you are coming up with a strategy, you need to have options. Our Scenario 4, which we developed, cost $432 million. If we do just a smart card, it will be like $1 billion. So we decided not to do card but to enrol everybody. We are collaborating with the World Bank, European Union (EU) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement the programme,” he said.

On allegations of extortion against some staff of the commission, the DG said: “What we always tell our state coordinators is that when you are sent to a state, you are expected to be transparent because the essence is to enrol every individual free of charge. So extortion is not there.”

Noting that NIN is mandatory for transactions that require social security, Aliyu added, “Be also reminded that in everything we do today, we require the NIN. As it is today, if you are registering for JAMB, for instance, or applying for a passport, you must tender your NIN; if not, it will not be possible for you. That is why we have registration centres at all the councils across the country.”