By James Moses (9News Nigeria)

Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has disclosed that the National Identity Number (NIN) enrollment figure now stands at 104 million as at January 2024 up from 85.6 million that was recorded in July 2022.

This is as the Commission is targeting about 20 to 25 million additional NINs registration by the end of 2024, even as it has revalidated and given licences to 96 Front End Partners (FEPs) to track enrollment process nationwide.

The new target is coming on the heels of the fact that Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project, the World Bank expects NIN enrollment to hits 148 million by June 2024.

The DG, who gave the figure at Management retreat of the Commission in Lagos at the weekend, charged NIMC”s Front End Enrollment Partners (FEPs) to ensure no one is left out of the NIN registration process and ensuring they comply with the terms of the Nigeria Data protection Act.

According Coker-Odusote, “Our mission to NIMC is clear: to equip each Nigerian and legal resident with a unique and secure National Identification Number (NIN). This number is the key to accessing critical services, social benefits, and economic prospects.

However, in order to accomplished this, we must ensure the integrity of our enrollment process. “As FEPs, your involvement is crucial. You are the link between our citizens and the NIMC enrollment ecosystem. As you communicate with candidates, treat their information with care, accuracy, and thoroughness. Let us work together to protect our database from errors, fraud, and other threats to it integrity. While we welcome the expansions of our National Identity Database to over 104 million captured NINs, and targeting additional 20-25 million NINs registration by the end of 2024, we cannot rest on our laurels. Millions more are waiting to be enrolled. They include students, farmers, business people, and the elderly, they are the heart of our country.

“Let us reachout to all parts of Nigeria, from booming cities to isolated villages, Allow us to collaborate with schools, hospitals, commuinity leaders, let us ensure that no one is left behind, including the vulnerable, people with disabilities, those living in the remote locations, and so on. Let us make the NIN enrollment process accessable, fast, and inconclusive”, he said.

-9News Nigeria.