The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, announced on Wednesday that it would cost National Identification Number holders N15,000 to correct their dates of birth in the commission’s database.
Mrs Funmi Opesanwo, the commission’s Regional Coordinator, revealed this at the NIMC’s office in the Alausa area of Lagos State.
According to her, NIN holders are also required to pay a processing fee of N5,000 for card renewal or card replacement as well as an address modification fee of N500.
She said there are different services that the commission offers, noting that NIN enrolment is free but there are fees attached to card renewal, correction of date of birth and change of address.
Opesanwo said, “For the date of birth correction, there is a processing fee of N15,000. For card renewal or card replacement, there is a processing fee of N5,000. For the modification of address or name, it is N500. So, people misconstrue this to mean that in NIMC they are asking them to pay money. No, those are for services.”
The NIMC official noted that the fees are payable to the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government. “For correction of date of birth, it is N15,000 and it is payable to the TSA,” she added.
It had earlier been reported that the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communication Commission ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their phones to their National Identity Number.
The Federal Government had said telcos subscribers with NIN have January 19 as deadline to link their NIN with their SIM cards while subscribers without NIN have until February 9 to do so.
But network subscribers have complained that those telcos have started blocking their SIM cards before the deadlines approved by the government.
Consequently, large crowds resurfaced at NIMC centres nationwide on Wednesday after the New Year break.
Speaking on the large crowds that resurfaced on Wednesday, Opesanwo said, “When we came this morning, a lot of applicants complained that their SIM (cards) have been blocked and that is why we are experiencing this large number today.
“We are trying to manage the situation. Applicants have been seated and they came in for different services, so, there is no problem.
“We have to be mindful of the safety protocols and we cannot exceed the number of people, the capacity that we can take, we have to adhere to the guidelines.”
As of October, the total number of mobile network connections was 207.58 million, but currently, only 43 million Nigerians have NIN, thus 164 million telephone users are at the risk of being deactivated on January 19, 2021.
Meanwhile, Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has approved the release of an improved National Identity Number (NIN) slip and a Mobile App, according to Femi Adeluyi, the minister’s Technical Assistant on Information Technology.
Adeluyi said in a statement that the development is part of the Federal Government’s Policy to improve the process of obtaining NIN and linking it to SIM, which was sent to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for implementation.
“The N20 and N40 fees for NIN verification by individuals and Mobile Network Operators, respectively, were also waived. These efforts are aimed at supporting the policy to link subscribers’ NIN to their SIM, which was approved by the Federal Government earlier in the year and communicated to the NCC on the 4th of February, 2020”, the statement noted.
He further noted that the highly anticipated Web Service (MWS) Application, called the NIMC Mobile App, and the improved National Identification Number (NIN) slip are now available for public use.
“The app provides a secure channel for all Nigerians and legal residents to easily verify and authenticate their identities on-the-go using smartphones. It also enables them to link the NIN to their phone numbers.
The development of the app and other tools to support the National Identity Number (NIN) process align with the National Digital Economy Policy for a digital Nigeria.
“The app offers a built-in harmonization process that allows for its use across other government services including the NCC, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Federal Road Safety Commission and National Health Insurance Scheme, to mention a few.
“On the other hand, the new improved NIN slip is a pocket friendly and an easy to verify version of the NIN.
It can be accessed via a self-service Portal, where people who already have been issued the NIN, can log in, download a PDF of the document in colour (if preferred), print and laminate as desired. The current NIN Slip will remain valid and will be gradually phased-out.
“The App is available on the Google Play store for Android users and App Store for IOS users. Details on how to download and install the App and download the improved NIN slip are available on the websites and social media platforms of the Ministry and NIMC. Users can also download the improved NIN Slip at https://dashboard.nimc.gov.ng.
“The Honourable Minister has directed NIMC to respond to enquiries and also provide multimedia guides to make it easy for users to obtain their improved NIN slips and install the App.
The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy remains committed to creating an enabling environment for all Nigerians and legal residents to obtain their Digital Identity Number,” the statement added.
