Dear Nigerians, From January 1, You Won’t Be Able To Access Govt Services Without NIN

Dear Nigerians, From January 1, You Won’t Be Able To Access Govt Services Without NIN
In line with Federal Government directive, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on Tuesday, January 1, began implementation of the mandatory usage of the National Identification Number (NIN).

NIMC, which announced the development, said it was in line with the government’s directive on identity management in the country.

According to Engr. Aliyu Aziz, Director-General of NIMC, all federal government Ministries, Agencies and Departments that take records of personnel/provide services requiring the identification of a person, shall from January 1, 2019 mandatorily demand the NIN from citizens to offer any of such services.

Ministries and Agencies such as Education, Aviation, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, National Population Commission, National Independent Electoral Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigerian Communications Commission, National Health Insurance Scheme, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Nigeria Police Force, Security and Exchange Commission etc. must request and verify the NIN as already adopted by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Road Safety Commission and the National Pension Commission.

Explaining how the mandatory usage of the NIN will be implemented, Engr. Aziz allayed the fears of the public that the cut-off date might pose a challenge to citizens or jeopardise their access to government services, or indeed, put their citizenship in any doubt.

“The process is simple and shall bring no stress to anyone. When the Federal Executive Council says mandatory usage of the NIN from January 1, 2019, it means that from that date onward, the agencies providing services listed under Section 27 of the NIMC Act and Section 1 of the Mandatory Use of the National Identification Number Regulations 2017 shall demand the NIN from citizens or legal residents before offering them any service.”

By that federal directive, therefore, the usage of the NIN becomes mandatory, from January 1, 2019 to access any government service across the country.