Federal Government has moved the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to the Ministry of Interior.
Until yesterday, the agency had been under the oversight of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
The relocation is said to be part of efforts to redress the difficulties associated with National Identity Numbers (NIN), which is a key prerequisite for the seamless application and procurement of International Passports and various other travel-related documents.
Head of Corporate Communications of NIMC, Kayode Adegoke confirmed the development.
“Yes, we have been moved. We are coming up with several innovations to address the problems. Nigerians will have opportunities to make online requests for changes of dates of birth, or any updates regarding their personal information.
They will apply online and get responses in real-time.”
Under the previous government, NIMC and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) worked together to integrate NIN with Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) as a strategy to combat the challenges of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism.
The transfer is being fast-tracked in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s mandate to eliminate any barriers or delays associated with acquiring NIN and Passports.
Meanwhile, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, acting director-general of IMC has advised Nigerians not to engage third-party services for their NIN.
She also said they should not offer bribes to NIMC officials to expedite NIN registration or modifications. She noted the importance of adhering to proper procedures established by NIMC.
She said the commission was committed to ensuring that all registration processes are carried out seamlessly and in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
“National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has zero tolerance for corruption. We are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics and integrity in our operations. All complaints should be sent to [email protected]. We encourage the public to report any unethical practices they encounter during the NIN modification process,” she said.
Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo had a week ago demanded that over 200,000 passport application backlogs in the country be cleared.
He also disclosed that over 60,000 had been cleared within five days of his initial deadline.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the clearance is needed to reduce scarcity and delay around fresh passport issuance which often promotes corruption in the system.
“What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses. In line with the directive of Mr. President, it can no longer be business as usual. We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports. And we understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right.’’