NIN UPDATE: NIMC staff involved in extortion of applicants suspended

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Dr. Isa Pantami.

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Some members of staff of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) found to be involved in the extortion of applicants at the NIMC Bauchi and Kaduna state offices.

This directive to this effect was made by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, according to the press statement issued by Kayode Adegoke, the Head of Corporate Communications, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

Dr Pantami in the statement reiterated that the disgraceful actions of these staff, if allowed to fester and not nipped in the bud by taking stiffer actions against the culprits, have the potency of derailing the SIM-NIN Integration project.

He emphasized that the enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) is free of charge and on no occasion should anyone pay to obtain an enrolment form or to have their biometrics captured.

The Minister tasked all personnel involved in the enrolment and NIN issuance exercise to carry out their respective duties professionally, fairly and with integrity, as the Ministry will continue to maintain its zero-tolerance stance on extortion, bribery and corruption.

“A lot of allegations had been lashed out at NIMC staff and key workers at the enrolment centres in recent times on cases of extortions, bribery and intimidation as Nigerians troop out en masse to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN), to avoid being blocked by their Network Providers.

“It is important to note that the recent decision of the Minister to suspend workers caught perpetrating these fraudulent activities came on the heels of public outcry that some personnel of NIMC, particularly at some enrolment centers in Bauchi and Kaduna were capitalizing on the rush for NIN by the public.

“In the light of the recent development across enrolment centers and NIMC offices, the Minister has called on the general public to assist the Government, by sending proof of any nefarious activity within and around the centers.”

The DEFENDER had on December 21, 2020 alerted the Federal Government, particularly Minister Pantami, in an opinion article titled, “WAKE UP: SIM Card-NIN Link: The sabotaging handlers and nonchalant citizenship”, in which allegations against some of the registration centres were raised.

In the article, it was said that, “While we tell the citizens where they err, I ernestly want to seize this stage of my writing to speak to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami.

“Honourable Minister, before “I off my Mic”, to borrow from the words of some legislators of the days of yore, let me bring to your attention that many of the centres you or your predecessor, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, allowed to handle National Identity Card Registration are corrupt and sabotaging the all-important national exercise. They need overhauling and I will talk from the case study of Lagos and Ogun states.

“I registered for my own NIN in 2014 the same day I captured for my International Passport and that was at Lagos State Command Headquarters of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). That was and is still where NIMC office is located in the state. It was very highly effective. I filled in all the information required of me, did the computer photographic capturing and collected my temporary slip same day.

“Honourable Minister, that has since changed. To get this thing done now is through connection, as staff handling the process are daily sabotaging the process by deliberately creating artificial queues at centres of registration to enable them justify their swindle of citizens. Every aspect of the system is corrupt now.  If NIN is compulsory and there is a deadline of two weeks, in all honesty Honourable Minister, not only should it be free but also, it should be made easy to do. Yes, I have always blamed the nonchalance of citizens for reason people still claim they don’t have the all-important umber five years after President Buhari energised it, six years after Jonathan rejigged it and 17 years after Olusegun Obasanjo launched it.  But the handlers themselves also aided the nonchalant disposition of the people towards the civic right.

“So sad to note, in a particular Local Government Area in Lagos, non-receipted N6,000 was charged in September this year to register citizens for NIN. Should we say Federal Government did wrong to have decentralised registration process into such local government council centres? No. It tells about the people of Nigeria. Unfortunately, those who willingly pay these fraudulent charges and remain in their conspiracy of silence were the same who led in the #ENDSARS movement saying Buhari-Must-Go. I then asked: Is Buhari Chairman of the Local Government? No answer.

“Another one, even former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has never seen anything good about President Muhammadu Buhari and has criticised him over security issues in the country, his Bells University of Technology NIN registration centre is also involved in this corruption as, right from security gate, they charge N3,000 per registration. This is a fact.”


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