The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) would clear payment owed to its front-end partners (FEPs) in two years this quarter. The Director-General of the Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, who gave the assurance in a statement issued yesterday while sympathising with the FEPs, which have been burdened with running their businesses for two years without payment.
Coke-Odusote noted: “NIMC, under my leadership, has conducted a revalidation exercise to review the outstanding payments, which the new management inherited to offset the debt after going through the due audit process to validate the claims made by the FEPs.
“In the process, we found out that some of the invoices submitted by the FEPs did not tally with the enrolment figures shown on the database thus prompting the revalidation exercise to confirm the true and accurate enrolment information.
“Notwithstanding, we are wrapping up the audit process and the activation of the FEPs will be done according to the outcome of the validation exercise.”
She sympathised with the partners and regretted the delay in the process. She appealed for understanding, especially as the new NIMC management is just a few months in office.
“Unfortunately, the previous management could not clear the outstanding dues because of lack of funds. But we are working hard to source the funds to clear the debt.
“I use the opportunity to reiterate that the revalidation exercise was aimed at sanitizing the system as well as ensuring efficient and effective enrolment processes in line with international best practices of securing citizens’ data,” she explained.
The Commission assured concerned Nigerians that payment would be made to the FEPs in the first quarter of 2024, saying there are plans to hold a stakeholders engagement summit this month.
Recall that some of the FEPs that were engaged for short-term enrolment activities that commenced in 2021, recently wrote to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, complaining that they have been groaning under heavy debts arising from bank loans used to procure equipment and sundry expenses in discharging their jobs.
In the letter dated October 12, 2023, titled ‘Re: Request for Meeting on Payment of Outstanding Enrolment Fees to FEPS and Matters Arising in the Commission,” the FEPs sought an audience with the minister to better explain their plights.
The FEPs, which claimed to have added about 60 million NINs to NIMC database within the period they were engaged, lamented the non-payment of contract fees despite delivering on the project.
Meanwhile, to bring efficiency to the NIN processes, NIMC has started a revalidation exercise of its third-party agent licenses.The NIMC said this was to ensure the highest standards of data security and compliance and was part of efforts to enhance the security, efficiency and accuracy of the NIN system.
In a statement signed by Coker-Odusote, the commission said: “This is to inform you of an important regulatory update regarding the revalidation of your licence as FEP of NIMC.”
NIMC stressed that the revalidation process was mandatory for all current partners and intended to ensure compliance with the latest standards and protocols. It noted that the revalidation process will include a thorough review of the third-party organisation’s operations, technical infrastructure and compliance with NIMC’s policies and guidelines.
