President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive clean-up of Nigeria’s national identity database after the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) discovered that over 6,000 Nigeriens had obtained Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) illegally. The directive aims to ensure an accurate and secure database, especially for government social investment programs.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the findings, confirming that the fraudulent NINs were revoked as part of an ongoing verification exercise. This comes amid concerns that non-Nigerians, particularly in border communities, had gained unauthorized access to the country’s identity system.
In October 2022, the Defence Headquarters had intercepted fake NIMC officials who were registering non-Nigerians in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Niger Republic. Security agencies recovered identity registration equipment, including NIN registration machines, laminators, and printers, from the suspects, who allegedly charged foreigners for fraudulent NIN registration.
The NIN serves as a unique identifier linked to an individual’s biometric and demographic data, used for government and private sector transactions. Ensuring its accuracy is critical for national security and social welfare programs.
According to sources within the Presidency, Tinubu’s administration wants the database refined to ensure that only eligible Nigerians receive social benefits such as conditional cash transfers and student loans.
A government official emphasized that the President does not want financial aid to be disbursed to individuals who cannot be properly identified.
To address this, Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser and the Minister of Interior to join an inter-ministerial panel overseeing the humanitarian ministry, ensuring proper oversight in identity verification for social welfare programs.
The Director-General of NIMC, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, reiterated that the agency is committed to ensuring transparency in government payments by using NIN verification. She explained that integrating NIN with the National Social Register will prevent fraud and ghost beneficiaries.
“This literally means that the people collecting money are real, identifiable individuals,” she stated.
The clean-up will help the government verify identities before making payments, preventing fictitious names from being added to the social register.
The process will also improve accountability in financial disbursements, saving the country money while ensuring that aid reaches the intended beneficiaries.
Coker-Odusote clarified that recent concerns regarding NIN-SIM linkage issues originated from telecommunications companies rather than NIMC.
She explained that telcos experienced a technical glitch, but it had since been resolved.
NIMC does not collect multiple phone numbers per individual.
Security experts argue that undocumented foreigners obtaining NINs is not a new issue, primarily due to Nigeria’s porous borders.
Retired Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh highlighted that non-Nigerians move freely across northern states without documentation, a situation that would not be tolerated in neighboring countries like Chad or Cameroon.
However, he acknowledged the efforts of Tinubu’s administration in addressing the problem.
While challenges remain, the government’s renewed focus on database accuracy and national security marks a significant step toward securing Nigeria’s identity management system and preventing fraudulent access to social welfare programs.
