The National Identity Management Commission announced plans to authorize more agents for the enrollment of National Identification Numbers across the country.
According to Nairametrics, in a notice released on Monday, the Commission invited organizations, including Limited Liability Companies, startup businesses, Small and Medium Enterprises, Civil Society Organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations with demonstrated success in similar roles, to indicate their interest in providing data collection and issuing the NIN.
According to the Commission, representatives of its development partners from Nigeria may also express interest.
The Commission states that there are three separate license types with various eligibility conditions. It was mentioned that the first category is made up of LLCs, which are businesses that have been incorporated for more than two years and are able to function at the federal, state, municipal, and regional levels of government.
The second category comprises SMEs, and startups that operate as SMEs and can operate at regional, state, and local government levels, while the third category comprises CSOs and NGOs that are incorporated Trustees focused on specific groups with special needs and can operate within catchments and areas of their interest in the country.
The NIMC head office in Abuja is where all applications are required to be physically submitted, but the Commission noted that the expression of interest will close by November 14, 2023.
NIMC reported earlier this month that its third-party agent licensees have been renewed. According to the Commission, this was done as part of ongoing efforts to increase the security, effectiveness, and accuracy of the National Identity Management System and as part of its commitment to guarantee the highest standards of data security and compliance.
The commission emphasized that the revalidation procedure is required for all current partners and is meant to verify compliance with the most recent standards and norms in a statement signed by the acting Director General of NIMC, Coker-Odusote.
According to the statement, to effectively engage in the enrollment of Nigerian citizens, legal residents, and related services, it is crucial to show that the company meets every necessary criteria.
In order to populate the NIN database, NIMC granted licenses to 203 agents nationwide in 2020. The Nigerian Communications Commission, National Pension Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria (through the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems Plc), National Population Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission, Joint Tax Board, and Nigeria Postal Services are prominent examples of the public sector organizations licensed at that time.
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the Military Pensions Board, the Abuja Enterprise Agency, the Corporate Affairs Commission, the National Health Insurance Scheme, and other public sector organizations have also granted licenses.
