Nigeria Shifts Implementation of National Identification Number to 2016

The federal government has shifted the take-off date for banks, MDAs of federal government to commence mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for identification, from September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had earlier directed that all transactions involving the identification of individuals as specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act must be done with the NIN beginning from September 1, 2015. The date follows the recent directive by President Muhammadu Buhari, that all MDAs should expeditiously harmonise their biometric databases.

The extension would enable NIMC progress further, ongoing efforts with the MDAs that have reached advanced stages of harmonisation including the CBN, FRSC, FIRS, PenCom, INEC, NHIS, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD).

This would help avoid the situation similar to what was experienced when the CBN wanted to enforce the cut-off date for the BVN, leading to a late rush to meet the deadline/massive turn out of citizens and the troubles they had to go through. It would also help ensure that the need for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this transition period when the harmonization is being implemented.