News Agency of Nigeria
INEC, NIMC strengthen collaboration on citizens’ registration, data mgt.

INEC, NIMC strengthen collaboration on citizens’ registration, data mgt.

Data

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have deepened their collaboration on data harmonisation for citizens registration and identity management.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated this when he received the NIMC Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote and her management team at INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Yakubu said that the move between the two sister agencies holding the largest biometric databases of Nigerians could in future enable citizens to vote from any location in the country.

He explained that while INEC holds the database of citizens for the purpose of elections, NIMC has the record of citizens generally.

“Since the ultimate goal is to enroll every citizen with NIMC, we look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria.

“When the time comes, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register as is the case in many jurisdictions around the world.

“This may also enable citizens to vote in future elections from their places of choice anywhere in the country rather than the places they register as voters as is the case at present.

“To achieve this long-term goal, we will continue to deepen our collaboration with NIMC,’’ he said.

Yakubu said that the NIMC was collaborating with INEC to enable citizens to register for voter cards and the National Identification Number (NIN) simultaneously, during the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

“It is in furtherance of this collaboration that NIMC is deploying its officials to some of our registration centres during the ongoing nationwide CVR.

“The idea is to provide more Nigerians who are yet to enroll for the NIN the opportunity to do so.

“Working with NIMC, we carried out a pilot during the recent CVR in Anambra from July 8 to July 202025.

“ We are now set to scale it up nationwide. Citizens will, therefore, have the opportunity to register as voters while simultaneously registering for the NIN.

“In due course, NIMC will provide details of the locations of our CVR centres where it will deploy its officials and also provide the modalities for the NIN registration,’’ he said.

Earlier in her remarks, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said that the collaboration was part of the NIMC mandate to harmonise data across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Coker-Odusote explained that the collaboration would create a trust-based system that would benefit Nigerians across sectors, particularly in voting and ensure transparency, accountability and fairness.

This according her is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, who is keen about promoting credible elections in Nigeria through reliable identity system.

“The goal set out in front of us is very key because we must ensure that we provide systems that are trusted by the public.

“Ensuring that we do what is required to satisfy Nigerians and make sure that our mandate, which is in line with the will of the people, is achieved.

“On this note, one of the key steps in us advancing this course is for us to start off with INEC on their voter registration exercise for INEC to ensure that we are available during this process.

“This is to be able to provide access to Nigerians at the community level to be able to enroll and register for the NIN in collaboration with the INEC,’’ Coker-Odusote said

Feilding questions from media on when Nigerians would have access to one Identity Card from NIMC for different purpose, she said it was a work in progress, that would be achieved.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Francis Onyeukwu

NIMC inaugurates NIN authentication service

NIMC inaugurates NIN authentication service

Inauguration

By Stellamaris Ashinze

The Federal Government has approved the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) inauguration of the NIMC NIN Authentication (NNAuth) for secured and seamless identity verification and authentication.

This is contained in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday, by the Head, Cooperate Communications, NIMC, Dr Kayode Adegoke.

Adegoke said that similarly, the presidency had directed the use of NIN Authentication for verification and authentication across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

He explained that this was in line with the commission’s mandate of regulating a reliable national digital identity for citizens and legal residents to affirm their identity

According to him, the inauguration of the NIN Authentication (NINAuth), a cutting-edge suite of services that include web, API and mobile verification is designed to enhance data security, protect privacy, and simplify access to government services.

”This is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on strengthening the national identity management system.

”The NIMC NINAuth application is the official service for integration with the commission’s back-end infrastructure.

”It introduces a robust layer of protection, empowering individuals with greater control over their personal information.”

He added that it required explicit consent before data is shared for Know Your Customer (KYC) processes or other verifications.

He said that the platform fosters trust, transparency, and user autonomy in digital identity management.

Adegoke also said that with the NINAuth, individuals could securely verify their identity and access key government services which include Sim registration, replacement, applications and passport processing

Others he said include tax filings and financial transactions, government Intervention Programmes in various MDAs, driver’s licence renewals and other regulatory processes.

The NIMC head of cooperate communications further said that the key features and benefits include enhanced Security, Protects personal data from unauthorised access, empowers individuals with the freedom to manage their data sharing preferences.

According to him, other key features and benefits include seamless access, provides a secure single sign on solution for convenient access to services.

He added that the innovation reaffirms NIMC’s commitment to advancing secured and efficient digital identity management, ensuring a more accessible, transparent, and secure identity verification system in Nigeria.

He said that the NINAuth application also provided a secured, scalable, and interoperable interface for identity verification through API integration.

According to him, it is designed to facilitate real-time authentication of NIN records, thereby promoting effective service delivery, database harmonisation, and compliance with the National Identity Policy.

He said that the NINAuth service had been designated as the exclusive platform for all NIN-based verification and authentication integration processes for optimal services.

”The implementation guide and process flow of the NIMC NIN Authentication are available at https://ninauth.nimc.gov.ng,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker

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