Lagosians pay N7000 to register for NIN

DG/CEO NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz Abubakar

Desperate to put the issue of registration for the National Identification Number (NIN) behind them, some Lagosians are coughing out as much as N7000 to ‘facilitators’ for express attention.

MSN gathered that many of the 43 designated enrolment centres in Lagos do not operate, leading to overcrowding at the centres that are working.

Lagosians who checked at the Ijaye Ojokoro centre on Friday, for instance, were directed to the Obafemi Awolowo Way State office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), where mammoth crowds daily jostle to enrol.

Lagosians were seen patronising ‘facilitators’ who assured that the exercise would be completed in record time with a payment of N7000 each.

At the Ojokoro Millennium Estate, a group of ‘facilitators’ were sighted collecting details from residents of the estate who were eager to enrol their names on the national identity register. The service attracted a fee of N3,500.

NIMC recently licensed telecom operators and other bodies to issue Nigerians NIN. 

One of the operators, Airtel, announced it had commenced registration of Nigerians for NIN at designated locations across the country on Thursday. See the report here.

NIMC has repeatedly warned Nigerians not to pay any money to enrol for NIN or collect National ID Card. The commission maintains that its services are free and none of its staff would collect money to facilitate registration.

The involvement of the telcos in the registration by the commission is believed to be a good measure to ease the frustration of Nigerians eager to enrol their names on the National Identity register in accordance with government’s directive.