Your citizenship doubtful without identification number – NIMC boss tells Nigerians

The National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] has warned that any Nigerian without the National Identification Number [NIN] runs the risk of being regarded as a foreigner. The NIMC’s Director General Engr. Aliyu Aziz who gave the warning at a press conference in Lagos at the weekend also said NIN would eliminate” ghosts, multiple identities and […]

The National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] has warned that any Nigerian without the National Identification Number [NIN] runs the risk of being regarded as a foreigner.

The NIMC’s Director General Engr. Aliyu Aziz who gave the warning at a press conference in Lagos at the weekend also said NIN would eliminate” ghosts, multiple identities and enhance ability of citizens to assert their identity’’.

“It is the duty of every citizen to enrol and obtain his or her National Identification Number, which entitles one to be fully regarded as a Nigerian citizen’’, he said, adding that “without NIN anyone’s claims of being a Nigerian citizen are doubtful; that is what the NIMC Act stipulates.’’  

The NIMC boss said NIN would facilitate service delivery in MDAs and enhance work of law enforcement agencies thereby providing public safety.

“It also enhances access to credit from financial institutions, protects citizens from identity theft thereby being an antidote to identity theft-driven frauds, it expands access to other financial services including insurance, it enhances e-commerce by providing a means of payment, it is a tool for non-repudiation and security for financial transactions and it facilities financial inclusion and hence cashless economy’’, he stated.