Smith Nwokocha Reports:

DIGITAL IDENTITY STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT.
Organized by: NIMC, PARADIGM INITIATIVES AND PIND FOUNDATION.

The event held at Visa Karena Hotel in Port Harcourt on the 27th July, 2021. At exactly 10:00am, the audience were sited and the key Organizers from Paradigm Initiatives staff including NIMC staff present introduced themselves. The event was moderated by Mr. Adeboye Adegoke and assisted by Khajidah El-Usman.

During the engagement proper, the NIMC Acting General Manager and Senior Special Assistant to the DG (Mrs. Uche Chigbo) took up the floor and did an excellent presentation that clarifys NIMC’s activities in Nigeria. She emphasized that; NIMC mandate, is centred around providing fundamental legal identity which includes Nigerians in diaspora. NIMC is an Agency of Government under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

NIMC is the provider of a secured means of authenticating the Digital Identity Tokens (NIN and Cards). Registration/Enrollment of every individual into the National Identity Database. Managing the Unique Identities of every individual living in Nigeria which includes legally foreign residents. Regulating the Nigerian Identity Sector.

NIMC FACTS AND FIGURES:
Commenced Identity Registration/Enrollment in year 2012. NIMC is for life, only the card gets expired. Enrollment for NIMC is free for first registration and a token is paid for renewal. The Enrollment is mandatory for everyone.

ENROLLMENT TARGET: Children, Adults, Diaspora, Foreign Legal Residents, Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Undocumented People.

CHALLENGES: Poor funding, Connectivity, Power, Consumables and Extortion.
Cyber Insecurity is also a challenge. One key solutions for power is for CSOs to go out of there way, approach/protest PHCN on why the creeping power supply. “Security is always a moving target, there’s nothing like proof”. We need to constantly move ahead and stay updated.

ECO-SYSTEM APPROACH: Licensing over three hundred (300+) partners to aid NIN registration. For every fifty thousand (50,000) person’s, there’s an enrollment centre. NIMC has deployed a technology driven system. NIMC is pushing for “National Data Protection Law”.

NIMC captures live biometric, so you have to go to be present at the enrollment centre.

NIMC is currently present in 22 countries where NIMC registration is done. NIMC collaborate with licensed Foreign Partners for enrollment.

NIMC Mobile App can be downloaded on Google play store, if you want your mobile ID on your phone. Strategic roadmap are all outlined in NIMC’s website (www.nimc.gov.ng).

Thank you.
Q&A.

Port Harcourt Wakawaka
@National Identity Management Commission
@Paradigm Initiatives
@Foundation For Partnership Initiatives in Niger Delta.