The Federal Government, FG, transferred the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to the Ministry of Interior as part of its efforts to address difficulties with the nation’s passport procedure.
The interior minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, promised upon taking office that he would seek to integrate the NIMC with the ministry for the effective administration of Nigerians’ identity data.
This process is currently being sped in accordance with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s decision to remove all obstructions and bottlenecks in the acquisition of passports.
One of the key requirements for acquiring an international passport is the National Identity Number (NIN), which is issued by NIMC.
Until now, the NIMC was overseen by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
A source who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to comment on the topic told our correspondent that a meeting with personnel from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was conducted on Wednesday at the ministry.
He stated that the purpose of the meeting was to coordinate the work of the two government organizations.
“The process is ongoing and should be completed by Friday because another meeting is scheduled for Friday,” a ministry source said.
During the previous government, the NIMC worked with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to integrate NIN with Subscribers Identity Modules SIM to combat kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism. Within three years, over 100 million Nigerians have linked their NIN to their SIM.