Nigeria does not expect to meet the goal for digital ID issuance set by the World Bank for this year.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said that it will add 20 to 25 million registrations by the end of 2024 to the 104 million National Identification Numbers (NINs) issued so far.
NIMC has revalidated 96 Front End Partners (FEPs), Leadership reports, with more pending.
NIMC’s relationship with FEPs became rocky with allegations of a backlog of payments to partners who had been registering the biometrics and demographic data of Nigerians.
The agency has since held a training workshop for FEPs and suspended others for failing to pass an audit, and is now addressing the backlog of payments.
“We have now paid well over 15 companies and are attempting to clear the arrears,” said Carolyn Folami, NIMC Director of Business Development and Commercial Services as reported by Leadership.
“We have done some housekeeping. Currently, we are only working with Android smartphones.”
More biometric devices were recently rolled out to Nigerian states to support accelerated NIN enrollment.
The World Bank is the main funding partner for Nigeria’s digital ID, and has urged the country to reach 148 million NIN registrations by June of this year.
“Let us ensure that no one is left behind, including the vulnerable, people with disabilities, those living in remote locations, and so on,” said, . Abisoye Coker-Odusote, NIMC CEO. “Let us make the NIN enrollment process accessible, fast, and inclusive.”