NIN means National Identification Number while NIMC is the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Nimc.Gov.Ng is the official website of Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). It operates and regulates matters of national identity in Nigeria with services covering National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment and issuance, National e-ID card issuance, identity verification as well as data harmonization and authentication.

The NIMC is headed by Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz. He was among the founders of the commission. He was also the Director, Information Technology/National Identity Database Department of NIMC.

The National Identity Commission is responsible for the issuance of National e-ID card, National Identification Number enrolment etc.

The NIMC services are needed in the following areas; JAMB, Pension, Passport, SIM registration, Banking, Amazon shopping etc. The services they provide, as mentioned before, include; issuance of National Identification Number, supplying general Multi-Purpose Cards (GMPC) and registering of individuals covered by the Act.

Recently, JAMB announced that prospective candidates must have a National Identification Number (NIN) before they can register for the 2020 UTME. This, according to the board, will help prevent candidates from having multiple JAMB accounts and also minimize examination malpractice.

NIMC Website Overview (Nimc.Gov.Ng)

The NIMC website can be accessed online through the web address (Nimc.Gov.ng). The website is beautifully designed with responsive layouts that fit well in all devices.

There are about six main menus on the front page. The menus are Home, About Us, Our Services, Media, Resources and Contact.

For NIMC services, you click on “Our Services”. The following sub-menus will appear; NIN, The ID Card, Verification, Harmonization and Integration, SMS services, Digital Identity Ecosystem, Diaspora, Fees and Services Level Agreement.

Depending on what you want to do, click on the right menu. You will be taken to the destination page.

Note that Nimc.Gov.Ng is the official website of the National Identity Commission (NIMC). Let nobody deceive you. At the time when this post was published, NIMC was not recruiting. Should anybody tell you that they are recruiting, please do well to visit the official website.

Click Here to Visit the Site

About NIN

NIN stands for National Identification Number. It is issued by the National Identity Commission (NIMC). It is compulsory for every Nigerian citizen and any legal residents of Nigeria to enrol for NIN. The NIN is used for identification.

The NIN can be used to capture, store and retrieve relevant information about a person from the National Identity Database. Enrolment for the NIN involves the recording of an individual’s demographic data and capturing of the ten (10) fingerprints, head-to-shoulder facial picture and digital signature.

NIN consists of 11 non-intelligible numbers randomly chosen and assigned to an individual at the completion of enrolment into the National Identity Database (NIDB). Once the number has been issued to an individual, it cannot be re-issued again. However, an individual can retreive it from the NIMC portal if lost. Also, the number can be retired if the owner is declared dead but cannot be transfered to another person. In that case, a death certificate is presented to the Commission and the individual’s death is established.

It is important to know that NIN is not meant for social media. It should not be disclosed to the general public. You are advised to guard it and only reveal it to relevant authorities.

How to Apply for NIN

This is the enrolment of every Nigerian and Legal Resident from the age of 16 years and above.

Supporting Documents

Walk into the nearest NIMC Enrolment Centre with your BVN if you have one and any of the following required Original and Valid supporting documents:

1. Old National ID Card
2. Driver’s License
3. Voter’s card (Temporary or Permanent)
4. Nigerian International passport
5. Certificate of Origin
6. Attestation letter from a prominent ruler in your community
7. Birth certificate
8. Declaration of age
9. Attestation letter from religious/traditional leader
10. NHIS ID card
11. Government staff ID card
12. Registered/recognized private organization staff ID card
13. School ID Card (private/public)
14. Tax Clearance certificate
15. Valid immigration documents

Process for capturing applicants of 16 years and above (Adult Enrolment):

• Applicant walks into the enrolment Centre with a supporting document.
• The applicant will be verified to ascertain if he/she has ever enrolled using the NIN verification portal.
• The applicant will be issued an enrolment form to fill if he/she has not enrolled before. OR the printed Barcode slip will be collected if the applicant had pre-enrolled earlier using the pre-enrolment service.
• Applicant’s forms will be vetted by a NIMC Official to crosscheck the information filled on the form against the supporting document provided and to check for errors/mistake filled on the form. Note: applicants who cannot read nor write should be accompanied by a literate individual who can do the form filling for him/her.
• Applicant’s pre-filled information will be inputted on the NIMC Software by a NIMC enrolment officer or the Barcode slip will be scanned by the NIMC enrolment officer to populate all the required field.
• The enrolment officer will ask the applicant to double check his/her information for errors using the applicant monitor.
• If the applicant is satisfied with his/her demographic information, the biometrics (ten finger prints and facial image) of the applicant will be capture subsequently.
• After completing the enrolment, a Transaction ID Slip will be issued to the applicant as an evidence of the transaction. However, the Transaction slip does not confer the right to National Identification Number. The applicant will be requested to come back for the NIN within 1-5 working days, as it is subjected to availability of network, authentication and verification.
• A National Identification Number (NIN) Slip is issued to the applicants after processing.
• The National e-ID Card will be Issued to applicant within 12months after Issuance of NIN barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Service Fee: ENROLMENT IS FREE

Availability: Monday – Friday (8a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Percentage of availability: 95 % (The Remaining 5% can be attributed to upsurge of applicants etc.)

Dependencies:

• Availability of the NIMS Backend.
• Availability of Network for data transmission.
• Availability of power for the enrolment system.

Types of Enrolment Processes

Self Service

This is also a “walk in and do it yourself” process of enrolment whereby an applicant walks in to an Enrolment Centre and fills an Enrolment Form (hard copy). The completed form is handed over to the Enrolment Office who in turn captures the biometric data of the applicant and process the data in the completed Enrolment Form.

Assisted Service

This is a “walk in and get assistance from a Support Officer” method of enrolment. This method involves the same steps as the Self Service one above, but in this case the applicant cannot fill the Enrolment Form on his/her own and walks in to the Enrolment Centre to be assisted by a Support Officer whose responsibility it is to guide the applicant incorrectlylylling the Enrolment Form with the required information.

Mobile Service

The Mobile-Service process involves an applicant enrolling for the NIN by going to any of the Mobile Enrolment Stations available in his/her neineighborhood any point in time. For this method of enrolment, the applicant may request for an Enrolment Form and personally complete it or request for assistance from the Support Officer. This method is valid and complete after the biometric data of the applicant is captured and the data in the filled Enrolment Form processed by the Enrolment Officer at the station.