The Nigerian identity manager says that over 109 million Nigerians and legal residents now have National Identification Numbers (NINs), the unique identifier code for citizens issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Notably, children’s enrolment accounts for 20% of the total registrations, according to Engineer Abisoye Coker-Odusote, NIMC Director-General and CEO, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja commemorating the National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day.
Engr. Coker-Odusote, represented by Engr. Lanre Yusuf, Director of Information Technology and Identity Database (IT/IDD), says that NIMC has implemented robust security measures to safeguard the National Identity Database (NIDB) while assuring the public that the NIN database is secure and protected.
According to Coker-Odusote, “over 109 million NINs have so far been issued to Nigerians and legal residents, amongst which children’s enrolment was 20 percent.”
The NIMC DG commends the collaborative efforts of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Population Commission (NPC) in working towards an inclusive digital identity system in Nigeria. She reiterates the Commission’s strategic partnership with the NPC and other government agencies to ensure that every Nigerian, particularly children under 16 years old, were enrolled and issued a NIN.
She highlights the NIMC’s commitment to extending enrolment efforts to rural areas and ensuring that all Nigerians are included in the NIN database. She also promised that NIMC would continue to prioritise timely and accurate enrolment for all Nigerians and legal residents.
Additionally, she announced the upcoming launch of the Improved General Multiple Purpose Card (GMPC), which will support the Federal Government’s initiatives for inclusivity, social safety nets, and other programmes aimed at benefiting Nigerian citizens.
