Joy Agwunobi
The Nigerian National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the temporary suspension of Front-End Partners (FEPs) from enrolling people for the National Identification Number (NIN).
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the director-general of the NIMC, announced the suspension of the third party agents during a training session for revalidated FEPs in Abuja. In her remarks, Coker-Odusote stated that the temporary suspension was necessary to allow the commission to review its policies and processes.
Coker-Odusote explained that the decision to suspend FEPs is a strategic move to conduct a comprehensive audit of the claims made by these third-party agents and to ensure compliance with the highest standards of data security.
According to the NIMC DG,the commission has inherited significant debts from previous administrations, some of which are linked to questionable invoices and claims. She argued that by suspending NIN enrolment activities and thoroughly auditing FEPs, the NIMC hopes to address these issues and ensure that all data is properly secured.
In her words, “Don’t forget that when I took over, I inherited a huge debt owed to FEPs for over two years. Some of the invoices and claims were questionable, so I had to conduct a thorough audit. The previous system and process were so corrupted that I had no choice but to take deliberate steps towards sanitising the NIN enrolment process. To that end, I directed that all NIN enrolment activities at FEP centres be suspended temporarily until the outcome of the revalidation exercise is known”.
In a bid to work diligently to ensure that all eligible individuals are registered and that the database is as accurate as possible, the NIMC licensed 203 agents across the country in 2020 as part of a broader effort to expand the NIN database. This was done in response to a growing need for a more comprehensive and reliable identity database, and it was part of a broader effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the NIN system.
The NIMC licensed 73 private sector agents and 30 State Governments/public sector institutions to conduct NIN enrolments on its behalf. These included key public sector institutions such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Pension Commission, CBN (through Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems Plc), National Population Commission (NPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joint Tax Board, and Nigeria Postal Services. This move was aimed at expanding the reach of the NIN system and improving its efficiency and effectiveness.
