About 30.5m Nigerians now have Identity Numbers – NIMC

Engr Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has placed the number of Nigerians with the National Identity Number (NIN) at 30.5million.

The commission said the gradual acceptance of NIN as a means of identification by some agencies of government in the country was driving up the numbers of Nigerians with the unique numbers.

The NIMC Director General Engr Aliyu Abubakar Aziz disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

Engr Aziz said the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), etc have all made the NIN a mandatory requirement for service delivery and that is forcing many Nigerians to go for NIN.

‘’We currently have about 30.5 million data in the database with the figures growing daily. The gradual acceptance of the NIN as a means of identification by our partners and stakeholders is also driving up the numbers by the day.

“For examples, organisations like the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), etc have all made the NIN a mandatory requirement for service delivery. Others are expected to follow suit”, he said.

He said NIMC had commenced aggressive and massive awareness campaign in all the states and the FCT to mobilise people for enrolment.

“We are also working closely with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and other media partners with a special target on the grassroots, and it will continue for a long time, particularly with the ecosystem approach being canvassed by the World Bank and its allies.

“Also, we have the mobile enrolment equipment which goes to some of the riverine and difficult terrains in the grassroots areas; and a good number will be rolled out by the end of this year”, he said.

According to him, registering for NIN is a national call, and all Nigerians are obliged to respond.

He said the government has provided the opportunity and the platform for enrolling into the National Identity Database, to make life better in a modern, well managed and planned manner.

“So, if the government has done so much, and all the citizens are required to do is to go out and answer the national call, does anyone have any excuse not to answer the call?”, he said.