NIMC to prosecute Nigerians printing ‘NIN cards’, says only slip is legal 

The Commission, which issued the warning in a statement released on Monday and signed by its Head, Corporate Communications Unit, Kayode Adegoke, reiterated that the NIN slip is the only legal document authorized as a means of identification.

NIMC said it has observed that “some unscrupulous individuals, cyber cafes, and organizations” are indiscriminately printing unauthorized NIN cards and charging unsuspecting members of the public exorbitant fees.

The Commission, which had announced plans to launch its multipurpose card last year, said it has not authorized anyone or any organization to print any card in place of the NIMC General Multi-Purpose Card.

This act, it said, is against the NIMC Act no 23, 2007.

“To this end, the general public and organizations are advised to stop printing any NIN cards against the authorized NIMC GMPC. The so-called NIN card is not authorized by NIMC, and on no account should anyone present it as a means of identification.  

“The security agencies have been notified of this nefarious activity and have been mandated to apprehend those involved. Anyone caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” NIMC stated.

Without stating any specific time for its launch, NIMC said it has finalized plans to launch the Improved GMPC, which is multifunctional and serves as a physical means of identification and payment, to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

NIMC first announced its general multipurpose card in April last year powered by AfriGO, a local payment platform. However, there has been uncertainty over the time of the card’s rollout.

The card has a long validity period because it’s also fully KYC enabled and it has an offline and online capability, which means the card can be used for financial transactions even in areas where there is limited or no access to the internet.

Although the government is hoping to issue the cards to as many Nigerians as requested, NIMC has said that Nigerians who want the card would have to pay for it.

– Iwegbu, however, noted that the government has different programs to make the card available to less-privileged Nigerians who may not be able to pay for the card but need it to access government support.

He said NIMC is working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request the card.