FG: Buhari, reason Nigeria shifted compulsory ID number deadline to January 2016

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Issuing Authority for National Identification Number (NIN) says the shift in date for the take-off of the mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN) was prompted by a directive by President Muhammadu Buhari. [blockquote right="pull-right" cite="NIMC"] NIMC, the nation's identity manager said the deadline was moved from September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016 after the President directed that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) "should expeditiously harmonise their biometric databases." [/blockquote] [caption id="attachment_21376" align="alignright" width="478"] Chris Onyemenam, Director General of NIMC[/caption] NIMC, the nation's identity manager said the deadline was moved from September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016 after the President directed that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) "should expeditiously harmonise their biometric databases." Abdulhamid Umar, General Manager, Corporate Communications, NIMC said in a statement issued by the agency that the extension is expected to “enable the Commission progress further, ongoing efforts with the MDAs that have reached advanced stages of harmonization with NIMC including the CBN, FRSC, FIRS, PenCom, INEC, NHIS, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD).” NIMC says the shift would also help avoid a situation where people make last-minute rush to beat the deadline such as the one experienced just before the initial deadline for Bank Verification Number (BVN). "It would also help ensure that the need for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this transition period when the harmonization is being implemented", according to NIMC. [blockquote right="pull-right"] "NIMC says the shift would also help avoid a situation where people make last-minute rush to beat the deadline such as the one experienced just before the initial deadline for Bank Verification Number (BVN)." [/blockquote] [caption id="attachment_27083" align="alignright" width="1024"] Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), undergoing a biometric verification exercise[/caption] The agency further said that its “management has taken into consideration the fact that the CBN had extended by a few months, the deadline for the completion of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise thus extending the time frame for the completion of the harmonization it has begun with the CBN on the BVN programme. It is expected that with the planned harmonization which will effectively link all MDA biometric databases - INEC, FRSC, PenCom, FIRS/JTB, NHIS, FMARD, etc, citizens will not be required to have their biometrics taken every time by these institutions in the near future.” NIMC's spokesman, Umar said that, “also the MDAs will invariably act as valid agents to the NIMC, collecting their own data as well as providing data required for the issuance of the NIN by the NIMC, based on the minimum national standards for biometric and demographic data capture already set by the MDAs.” A few months ago, NIMC announced that it would start to enforce the use of the NIN by citizens in the conduct of certain transactions as specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, 2007. But the need to complete the initiation of the process of harmonization, to ensure that at least legacy databases of MDAs are linked is an important process that would facilitate citizen’s adoption and participation in the process, according to the government agency.

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