By Chika Otuchikere
With an estimated population of over 200 million Nigerians, only 31 million people, including adults and minors have been captured in the database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) the agency saddled with issuance of National Identification Number (NIN) card.
The Commission’s Head of Corporate Communications Mr. Loveday Chika made the disclosure to the media, Wednesday, in a chat in which he said that, of the number, minors constituted a meagre 255,794.
Chika said: “Enrolment of minors is ongoing and has no age bracket, parents are encouraged to bring children that are one year and above so that the camera can capture their faces very well.
“What we have observed is that it is difficult to take pictures of children below one year, so we advise parents to wait until their kids are one year old.
“The process is that either of the parents must enroll first and produce his or her name upon which the details of the child will be enrolled to be able to establish a family history.
[penci_blockquote style=”style-2″ align=”none” author=””]Chika who called on Nigerians to utilise the opportunity to get registered, enumerated the social benefits of the NIN, including access to government services, especially for individuals who do not have bank accounts.[/penci_blockquote]
“This is because until a child turns 16, his or her biometrics is not fully formed, so we are able to put information about him on the family line.
“Once the child turns 16 he or she can come forward with birth certificate as a supporting document and update his or her biometrics. We do not issue card to people below 16”.
The spokesman who affirmed that the number of children so far registered by the commission is encouraging, stressing that with the current holidays, turnout would increase.
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Chika who called on Nigerians to utilise the opportunity to get registered, enumerated the social benefits of the NIN, including access to government services, especially for individuals who do not have bank accounts.
“NIN will enable you to have an identity which you can use to access money, for instance, if the government is paying any money, without your bank account money can be paid to you through NIN.
“It also enables you to assert your identity; nobody mistakes you for another; no matter how identical you are, NIN singles you out.