By Kayode Tokede

Nigerians have protested the imposition of N15,000 correction fee  being charged by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). The commission had announced payment of N15,000 as the fee for correction of date of birth and others in the National Identity Number (NIN).

Coordinator, Voice of the Youths, Abdulrahman Adeola  said imposition of the N15,000 correction fee contradicts the purpose of the National Identity Number. He argued that if the commission is sensitive to the plight of low income Nigerians and dangers of insecurity in the country, such a fee will not be necessary at this period of economic recession.

“We will mobilise our members in collaboration with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to resist this exploitation by the NIMC,”he vowed.

A lecturer at a first generation University, Dr Chukwudi  Johnson who claimed to have paid N10,000 to secure appointment said the demand for N15,000 will enable bandits and Boko Haram members to sponsor foreigners as Nigerians.

“When you have more foreigners with the NIN, then what is the usefulness of the exercise?” he argued.

Hajia Zainab Hameed, market leader in Kaduna claimed such payment will further worsen corrupt practices among officials of NIMC.

“Where we have barons of Boko Haram with cash, it will enable them to change details that will be difficult for security agencies to track them. Who approved the N15,000? Is the National Assembly aware?” she asked.

“The  ministry of  digital economy supervising the NIMC should explain to Nigerians reasons for making registration difficult fir Nigerians,” she added.

However, the charge, according to NIMC regional coordinator in Lagos, Funmi Opensanwo, varies from correction of details like name, address, card renewal or replacement and date of birth.

According to Opensanwo, “The money we charge is for modification fee.

“For the date of birth correction, the processing fee is N15,000. For card renewal or card replacement, there is a processing fee of N5,000.

“For a modification of your name and address, there is a fee of N5,000.”

She noted that the fees “are for services and (things) to be corrected. They are payable to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and not anybody.”

NIMC regional coordinator’s explanations was in response to allegations that officials of the commission have been demanding illegal fees from Nigerians to link their NIN to their sim cards.

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) in December 2020 gave a two-week ultimatum to telecom service providers to block phone numbers without NIN.

The directive has since sparked an outrage amongst Nigerians who argued that government agencies can retrieve their information on other data platform to update their sim card registration.

Currently, Nigeria has multiple citizen’s collection data platforms – the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), NIN, passport, driver’s license, SIM card registration and voters’ card all having the same information of individuals.

The federal government has said telecom service providers who failed to block SIM cards unregistered with NIN after the two-weeks risk withdrawal of their operational license.

“The submission of NIN by subscribers to take place within two weeks (from today December 16, 2020 and end by 30 December, 2020),” NCC spokesperson Ike Adinde said in a statement.

The ultimatum has since been extended by up to six weeks, from Dec. 30 to Feb. 9, 2021, and cancelled the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) charges for verification across the country.

Despite the extension, many Nigerians lament the strenuous procedure in trying to link their sim cards to their NIN as well as those applying for fresh registration. This has led to the violation of COVID-19 protocols of social distancing as thousands continue to besiege registration centres in the country.

Opensanwo attributed the increase in applicants to telecommunication companies’ decision to block sim cards of people whose NIN is not linked to their numbers.

“Yesterday we did not experience what we’re experiencing today,” Opensanwo said.

“The information we got is that most of the applicants’ numbers were being blocked.”

She said the commission is “trying to manage the situation” of overcrowding at many of the registration centres.

The NIMC had said that the ongoing enrollment for the NIN is free across the country.

In a tweet, NIMC warned that those who extort applicants risk a seven-year jail term if found guilty of the offence.

While citing Sections 14, 20 and 21 of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Act and Sections 10 and 12 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, NIMC said the offence is punishable in accordance with the laws.

The commission also asked Nigerians to report such cases of extortion for diligent prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The punishment for extortion if convicted is seven years of imprisonment as stipulated in Sections 14, 20 and 21 of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Act and Sections 10 and 12 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act,” NIMC said.

“Report extortion via [email protected] or call 08157691214 or 08157691071,” the National Identity Management Commission added.

Hitherto, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ibrahim Pantami, directed the immediate suspension of staff members involved in extortion of applicants at the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, in Bauchi and Kaduna State offices.

Pantami gave the directive following a public outcry that some personnel of NIMC, particularly at some enrollment centres in Bauchi and Kaduna States were capitalizing on the rush for NIN by the public.

The Minister stated that the fraudulent activity perpetrated was inimical to the policy directive of the Federal Government.

He pointed out that the policy requires mobile network subscribers to update their SIM registration with a valid NIN.

Pantami’s order was contained in a statement signed by Kayode Adegoke, Head, Corporate Communication of NIMC.

Workers handling the registration of national identity numbers in Delta State have resorted to extorting prospective registrants as they charged between N3,000 and N5,000 for the enrolment form which is supposed to be free.

Nigerian NewsDirect had reported that hundreds of applicants who besieged the NIMC office at Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State were asked to pay to get the forms which are being hoarded by the commission’s staff.