New National ID System will Curb Ghost Workers Problem, Help National Planning

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, December 30th, 2013

By Eric Ojo

The National Identity Commission (NIMC) has assured Nigerians that The National Identity Management System will also curb the ghost workers phenomenon in civil/public service in the country.

The commission said the new system would also go a long way in helping the government in facilitating national planning.

The NIMC added that the National Identification Number (NIN) will help protect individuals from identity theft and fraud by providing a simple, reliable, sustainable and universally acceptable means of conforming individual’s identity at all.

The Director Corporate Communications of the Commission, Mr Okwudiafor Anthony who gave the assurance in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, further noted that the system will make it difficult for criminals to use false or multiple or ghost identities.

Mr. Okwudiafor also assured that the system will also enhance the work of Law Enforcement Agencies in the country, adding that the Non- Intelligent 11 digits National Identification Number (NIN) which is pulled and given to Nigerians and Legal Residents after successful enrolment is what genuinely reveals the identity of Individuals at any point in time.

He further explained that the National Identity Management System is entirely different from mere Photo Card issuance that was carried out in previous schemes.

He said the NIN is the Individual’s Identity and the numbers are what will be used for authentication and verification through a sub-system.

He pointed out that the unique Smart Card that will be issued to all those that have registered and collected their NIN is unique because it is chip based card and 100 percent poly carbonate with 18 security features of international standard.

The Card also has 13 applications including a payment solution, a match-on-card and an e-PRI.

The Director emphasized that the enrolment for the NIN is a continuous exercise from Mondays to Fridays with additional pre-enrolment portal that allows individuals to pre-enroll through the portal (www.ninenrol.gov.ng) that is capable of serving over one million pre-registration a day.

He added that the on-line pre- enrolment allows applicants to input their demographic data and print out the pre-registration slip that has a 2D Barcode and proceed to any nearest NIMC enrolment center to capture their biometrics and electronic signature which completes the process with the issuance or the National Identification Number (NIN) and a tracking ID number.

Mr. Okwudiafor also reiterated that the NIMS project is focused on Identity Management which is real time live processing of data from every location in line with the international standards (ICAO, ISO, IEEE, etc.) and best global practices unlike the previous schemes where personal information of individuals are collected stored and then processed later.

He said more enrolment centers will be opened in all the Local Government Areas across the Nation in addition to mobile enrolment centers in high traffic locations like the military, pre-military, universities, MDA’S and remote areas to cater for the grassroots.

The director equally assured that the NIMS project will provide a convenient and simplified process for enrolment into the National Identity Management System in Nigeria.