From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on Monday, disclosed that 110 million Nigerians have so far been registered for the national identification number (NIN), marking a 2.4 percent increase from the 107.34 million recorded at the end of May.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, NIMC’s Director-general, made this disclosure at an event in Abuja celebrating the sixth edition of National Identity Day, themed “Digital Public Infrastructure: Enabling Access to Services.”
Coker-Odusote credited the milestone to the Commission’s strategic initiatives, stressing that digital public infrastructure (DPI) is critical to the nation’s economic development.
She said; “The role of DPI has become indispensable to Nigeria’s economic development, as it offers a framework that connects citizens to essential services such as social welfare, healthcare, education, and financial inclusion,” Coker-Odusote said.
“At the forefront of this transformation is NIMC, responsible for the National Identification Number, which has enrolled over 110 million Nigerians.
“This provides a unique opportunity for the other two pillars of the DPI – data exchange and payment – to be layered on foundational identity for its effective development and adoption.”
Coker-Odusote said that digital infrastructure has been instrumental in empowering the government and financial institutions to facilitate digital payments, digital currency, digital identity, and streamlined processes.
She pointed to the student loan initiative as a prime example, noting that it has aided 257 institutions, registered 332,715 students for loans, and successfully disbursed funds to over 18,000 students. This, according to the DG, demonstrates how DPI can effectively eliminate financial barriers to education.
“I must say we are on the right path and key strides have been made through collaboration and partnerships with government agencies and private sector players linking of NINs and phone numbers with the telecommunication companies, NIN and bank verification number harmonisation with financial institutions to facilitate digital payments, digital money, digital identity and digital processes, amongst others,” she said.
“Furthermore, the student loan initiative showcases how DPI can eliminate financial barriers to education.
“Our journey with DPI reflects its similarity to physical infrastructure, requiring it to be open, interoperable and guided by set of governance rules and as such the public and private sectors need to intensify their partnership to drive innovation within the digital identity space and reap the benefits of DPI,” she added.