Nigerians To Pay For National ID Card From 2022 – NIMC

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has urged Nigerians to make use of the remaining three years to get registered and obtain their national identity card as payments for issuance will begin from 2022.

Director General, NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz made this known yesterday in Abuja at the Reform Seminar on “The National Digital Identity Ecosystem Strategic Road Map for the Enrollment of Nigerians and Legal Residents into the National Identity Database (NIDB)”

Aziz, during the seminar organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), also stated that unlike the National Identification Number (NIN) which is assignable to Nigerians, only the National e-ID Card-ID card which can be used for identification, payment and other applications in Nigeria can only be issued to Nigerians registered into the national identity system and legal residents who have attained the age of 16 years and above.

“The National e-ID Card can only be issued to Nigerians registered into the national identity system and legal residents who have attained the age of 16 years and above but the national identification number (NIN) is assignable to Nigerians only”.

“As a government, we recognise the huge importance of moving towards a digital government, therefore, we must embrace and harness the potentials inherent in digital identity to build and develop our country.

“Nations all over the world and in particular, developed countries have utilised identity as a foundation to transforming governance and enhancing service delivery in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, voting, transportation, financial inclusion, access to basic service and welfare programmes.”

The NIMC boss, however, enjoined Nigerians not to be denied government services on account of not having the national identity number (NIN) as it can now be retrieved with a USSD service.

“Dial *346# from the options displayed, select NIN retrieval, by typing in 1, if you are using the same phone number you enrolled with for your NIN or select NIN Search, by typing in 2, to retrieve your NIN by inputting some of your registered details (if you are not using the same phone number you enrolled with follow the steps displayed on your screen and provide the required inputs.

“Note that using this service attracts a N20 fee only deducted from your phone credit balance,” he said.