Federal government has plans to expand the national social register to 18.1 million names and to reach at least 70 million poor households across the country by the end of this year, according to Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda,  minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD).

Federal government has been distributing cash assistance to poor citizens through a program that requires verification using the National Identification Number (NIN).

The rate of poverty in the country is alarming, the minister said in an interview with Arise News, reason why the federal government plans to extend the humanitarian outreach program to target more homes. Each household receives the sum of N75,000 ($45).

Giving update on the payments, the minister said the first tranche of the conditional cash transfers were paid to five million households between October and December 2024, while the second and third tranches were paid to 2.8 million households.

“The president has directed, based on CBN’s new regulations, that before any payment is made to an individual or household, they must have a digital identity we can trace. That is the NIN number,” the Yilwatda told Arise News.

The cash transfer enabled by digital ID was launched in 2023, and last year, the federal government said around 25 million Nigerians had already benefitted from the scheme.

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has granted licence for the Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS) to register inmates in the over 252 custodial centres across the country for National Identity Numbers, (NIN).

The approval followed the request made by Sylvester Nwakuche, acting controller general of the NCoS, who paid a visit to Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general/chief executive Officer of NIMC, in her office.

The acting controller-general, said the licence to carry out registration of inmates for NIN would eliminate exclusion of inmates from the country’s National Development plans, ensure their safety and security and facilitate their smooth recapture in times of jailbreaks.

The NCoS boss said the visit to the headquarters of NIMC was in search of collaboration that would enable the Service carry out its mandate seamlessly following on going reforms of the Correctional Service system.

According to Nwakuche, there are lots of socio-economic developments within the Correctional Service systems which had led to a number of inmates obtaining University degrees, Masters Degrees and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in various fields.

He said such inmates should not be excluded from the national development plans of the country as they should be integrated into the society to become useful for their families and the country.

Nwakuche said inside the Correctional centres are those awaiting trials whose innocence and otherwise has to be decided by the Courts, but argued that in times of National planning, census and other critical national development issues, they should not be disallowed from participating.

Coker-Odusote who granted the licence said NIN has become critical and essential to the country’s national development plans, stressing that NIMC has gone far with the private sector, especially the banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as all banks accounts are now linked with the NIN.

Coker-Odusote said the Eight points Agenda of President Bola Tinubu are also anchored on the Country’s digital identity or National identity Number, stressing that for instance NIN was tied to students loans to eradicate duplicity and prevent ghost beneficiaries.

Coker-Odusote expressed delight in the partnership with the NCoS, saying that the Commission had already entered into partnership with the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS and other agencies in order to facilitate the smooth delivery of their constitutional mandates.

She commended Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of Interior, for his dynamic leadership and role in ensuring the delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigeria through various reforms.

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has kicked off a three-day training program for 388 personnel aimed at enhancing the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process across the country.

The training, tagged “Refresher Training of Trainers on NIN Integration to the National Social Register: Technical and hands-on devices and field operations and procedures”, is in collaboration with the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office.

The training is also to equip personnel with the necessary skills to efficiently handle the complexities of enrolment processes

In her address at the event held in Port Harcourt on Monday, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director-general and chief executive officer, NIMC, noted that the initiative aligns with the commission’s overarching goal of achieving secured and great success for the Renewed Hope social initiatives.

Represented by Adedapo Adedoyin, her technical advisor on ICT, the NIMC DG said the event is a pivotal initiative that marks a significant step forward in our mission to enhance and modernize the National Identification Number enrolment process across Nigeria.

She stated, “Today, I am pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive training program aimed at refreshing the technical and operational skills of the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office State Operations Coordinating Unit and NIMC staff.

“This initiative focuses on practical and field-based exercises, ensuring that our teams are well-equipped to handle the complexities of enrolment processes with precision and efficiency.

“This initiative aligns with our overarching goal of achieving secured and great success for the Renewed Hope social initiatives. Through verified digital identification, we aim to improve the lives of Nigerians by providing them with access to essential services and opportunities that require a reliable and secure identity verification system”.

Coker-Odusote explained that the training program will be conducted in two batches, encompassing four states: Kwara, Nasarawa, Kano, and Rivers. A total of 388 attendees will participate in this initiative, including 225 NASSCO State Operations Coordinating Unit representatives, 35 NIMC facilitators, and 128 State support staff.

She added, “The sessions are meticulously designed to foster knowledge sharing and hands-on experience with NIMC’s enrolment device and software, ensuring that our personnel are adept at using these tools to their full potential.

“By empowering our teams with enhanced skills and practical experience, we are setting the stage for more efficient and accurate NIN enrolment processes across the nation”.

Coker-Odusote further said the training program “is a crucial step toward achieving the World Bank’s Identification for Development Initiative target of enrolling 180 million Nigerians with secure digital IDs.

“By bolstering our technical and operational capabilities, we are ensuring that NIMC is well-positioned to meet and exceed this target, thereby contributing to the global vision of inclusive and accessible digital identification for all”.

The NIMC boss8 called for collaboration between all stakeholders saying, “As we embark on this journey, I urge all participants to embrace this opportunity for growth and development.

“Together, we can build a robust and efficient National Identification System that will serve as the cornerstone for Nigeria’s social and economic progress.”