The Federal Government has again told Nigerians to keep their National Identification Number (NIN) safe, because the unique number will identify them for life.
There is nothing like temporary National ID, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the government agency responsible for ID management has said, underscoring the need for safe-keeping of the number that uniquely identifies each Nigerian.
The slip issued after enrolment, called the NIN slip, has the NIN which is unique to the bearer for life. But it is the other information on the National Identity card such as marital status, address can be updated, the nation’s ID management agency said.
“The slip our staff prints and give you immediately after you enroll is called the NIN slip. It contains your unique National Identification Number (NIN). No two people have the same NIN. Your NIN is your NIN for life. Other information like marital status, address etc can be updated but your NIN is permanent. You are advised to keep your NIN slip safe, you can also copy and save your number elsewhere because the number will not appear physically on the body of your eID Card when we issue it to you”, according to a statement by NIMC.
According to the Commission, “your NIN can only be verified when your card is inserted into a chip reading machine like an ATM or a POS device for a transaction or for verification of your identity.”