No mobile registration code for national ID card – NIMC

Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Tuesday said there is no mobile phone code to register for the country’s identity card for citizens.

“NIMC wishes to inform the general public that the message being circulated on social media platforms that the *346# USSD code can be used to register for the NIN with the use of BVN is false,” NIMC said in a tweet.

Prior to the disclaimer, there were reports on social media that claimed Nigerians could register for their national identity card via the USSD code on mobile phones.

Perceived to be legit, Nigerians choose the code as a better alternative to the strenuous manual and online registration process.

The national identity commission said the code “did not emanate from the Commission.”

Since the launch in February 2003, the process has been marred with technical, manual and administrative issues.

Seventeen years since the project began, the majority of Nigerians are yet to get the National ID card.

Nigerians at different times have lamented on the difficulties in the registration process.

In many parts of the country, especially Lagos, citizens arrive registration points as early as 4:00 am. They are sometimes asked to leave without completing the registration by NIMC officials to return another day.