Applicants to book ahead of NIN enrolment, says NIMC

The National Identity Management Commission has said henceforth those seeking to enroll for the National Identity Numbers (NIN) will have to book ahead as part of measures to drive sanity into the process.

It said the booking system was adopted to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic at registration centres across the country.

The arrangement came as hundreds of NIN applicants thronged the Lagos and Abuja offices of the commission on Tuesday for the registration, causing confusion.

A statement by the NIMC’s spokesman, Kayode Adegoke, said personal information would be collected for scheduling an enrolment appointment.

The statement warned citizens not to give personal information other than what would be required by the booking register.

Adegoke explained that the recent Federal Government’s policy requiring mobile network subscribers to update their SIM registration with a valid NIN had occasioned a huge demand for the registration with huge crowds visiting the NIMC enrolment centres nationwide.

“Mindful of the second wave of the COVID-19, which continues to severely affect public health and cause unprecedented disruptions, the commission wishes to announce that it has adopted a couple of measures to contain the spread of the virus while ensuring its services to Nigerians are not entirely interrupted,” Adegoke stated.

The NIMC spokesman also said, “Effective December 30, 2020, attending to applicants would be based on booking system. For bookings, applicants are to visit any of the NIMC offices closest to them during stipulated business hours (9 am – 1 pm).

“Although the policy has been in place since 4th February 2020, applicants are now crowding all the centres. Personal information would be collected for the sole purpose of scheduling an enrolment appointment. Please do not include any personal information other than what is required by the booking register.

“Once admitted into the office, a number-issuing queue management system will be in place to ensure orderliness and strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

“As a responsible commission, we fully understand that safety comes first, as such, only individuals with face mask would be allowed entrance into our premises.

“We urge the general public to cooperate with us as we work assiduously to respond to the new normal.”