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A reporter’s two-days experience at the National Identification Number Lagos headquarters
Dayo Emmanuel
NIN SLIP IS FREE. ENROLLMENT IS FREE. CARD COLLECTION IS ALSO FREE. This is the message that welcomes visitors to the building housing the headquarters of the National Identification Number (NIN) centre at Ikeja, Lagos.
The facility utilized by the Ministry of the Interior is large enough to process information required from Nigerians in the Lagos area ahead of the issuance of the document.
Meanwhile, applicants have complained of insufficient hands at the department while Nigerians had thronged the office to ensure they get the document before a possible rush.
The Federal Government had introduced the National Identity Card scheme to document Nigerians and preserve a database for other purposes.
A visit to the Ikeja headquarters of the scheme confirmed the service is free but not without the corresponding stress.
The National Identification Number (NIN) is a set of numbers assigned to an individual upon successful enrollment.
The enrollment consists of recording of an individual’s demographic data and capture of the ten fingerprints, head to shoulder facial picture and digital signature, which are all used to cross-check existing data in the National Identity database to confirm that there is no previous entry of the same data.
Nigerians who are aware of the importance of the document spent the early days of the year to inquire and position to register within the first few weeks.
“We got to this place as early as 7am and this is 2pm already, they said they cannot continue registering applicants again,” an angry applicant who simply identified himself as Williams reacted after hearing the announcement that the office could no longer process applications that day.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians have complained that the National Identity card is another exercise that would cost the nation so much only to further produce multiple database for the country.
“Why do we keep generating multiple databases in Nigeria instead of just synchronising all the existing multiple biometrics, we keep generating more every time,” a concerned Nigerian, Mr. Olonade said at the registration point.
While an applicant was complaining he had tried to register for the National Identity Card since 2015, another applicant showed him his registration slip he got since 2012.
“You are complaining of your efforts of 2015, I have been trying since 2012,” an applicant who introduced himself as Desmond said at the NIN office, Ikeja.
According to Desmond, Nigerians have gone through several rigorous registration exercises in the past only to keep repeating the same process.
“We are all in this country and we do all manner of registrations but when it is time for banks to ask for ID Card they would give you options of Driving License, or International Passport, so why do we need this rigorous exercise again when some of us can produce our international passport and driver’s license or is there something in future we might need this identity card for?” He asked.
On 4th January, applicants all over Lagos, parts of Ogun State and those still holidaying in Lagos thronged the office to attempt to register. As early as 7am the list of fresh applicants had gone beyond 100 and hours after, applicants were already writing on the fifth page of the register.
Later around noon, rate of processing of forms had reduced and agitation was high especially among those who had not gained entrance into the hall of registration.
Sitting arrangement was not comfortable at the waiting area as the area could no longer accommodate applicants. This made the attendants to admit nursing mothers to register before others.
The most frustrating thing was the absence of information as the agitation was rising by the hour. “If these people had just pasted a notice out here, we would know the real situation inside,” a woman who claimed to have been siting for many hours expressed her frustration.
Continuing she said, “I had registered at a GTBank last year and on getting there they said they had moved everything to the headquarters here. What can we do in this country without stress?” She queried.
By 2pm a rumour came from the processing room that only two computer systems were functioning meaning that there may be no hope for the mammoth crowd who had gathered since 6.30am.
Another rumour came that the both computer systems had only processed 60 forms out of several hundreds. Immediately those occupying later numbers began their journey back home.
Few minutes later, the rumour turned true when a female official of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) came with an important announcement. “Please you may have to return tomorrow. Please make it very early so you can get early numbers, we are sorry we cannot process more forms and we don’t want you to keep waiting,” she pleaded.
At the announcement, those who didn’t believe the early rumour confirmed there was no more need waiting. When asked if the list would be valid the next day, the official answered in the negative. At the end of the day, only about 60 applicants were captured out of over 200 applicants.
Next day, applicants had gathered as early as 6:30am in order to secure early numbers. A senior journalist attached to the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), was one of the applicants who couldn’t apply on his first day at the centre.
However he was determined to pick early numbers for himself and his two adolescent children the next day. He was somehow lucky on the second day of his attempt as he left the premises before 9:30am as his wards were captured while he was told his Bank Verification Number had some issues.
Confirming multiple databases in Nigeria which many say are mere waste of time and energy, an aggrieved applicant who wished to be anonymous said, “These people are just not serious because all the data they are looking for are in the BVN already. Why not just synchronise and obtain the data from BVN since they still rely on BVN for your NIN?” He queried.
Of course for the early birds on the second day, arriving early worked as more computer systems worked before the pressure mounted.
“Hopefully more people would be attended to today because more systems are functioning, the applicants should just be more orderly today,” one of the officials was seen consoling a female applicant who apparently didn’t get captured after several attempts.
Largely the facilities deployed for the exercise are apparently insufficient. There are spaces for about ten computer systems out of which only four worked on the second day, an improvement over the first day. Meanwhile the process of documenting an applicant takes just about four minutes all things being equal.
According to the NIN website, the National Identification number is the unique number which identifies one for life and it issues to individuals by NIMC after enrollment. The website also says it is used to match the holder with biometric data and other details in the National Identity Database during verification and authentication.
Meanwhile NIN is usable for identification purposes in Nigeria wherever it is required and Nigerians are enjoined to acquire the document.
However, the federal agency in charge of the documentation must as a matter of urgency provide more outlets and advertise such for Nigerians to take advantage of the facilities.
The document would also help the national security in the sense that the information supplied would enable the system to document all Nigerians in a single database for relevant purposes.
The agency should also synergize with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Ministry of Information to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of the document.
The importance of the document may not be fully understood without a national orientation since many have argued that the international passport, driving license and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) are also means of identifications serving similar purposes. Hence the NOA, Ministry of Information, religious organisations and relevant NGOs must help the government to drum up the importance of the exercise to Nigerians.
