President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that over 85 million persons enrolled on the National Identification Number database.
This was contained in a statement on Sunday, a year after stating that 54 million Nigerians have now enrolled.
Nigeria had for years struggled to create a credible national database through the NIN without success. However, with the new government’s policy introduced in December 2020 mandating all mobile subscribers to link their SIM with NIN, many Nigerians are being forced to enrol for the national identification number.
The President stated, “We have now enrolled more than 85 million persons into the NIN database. The work continues, to leave behind a credible and robust foundation of digital identity for the security and prosperity of Nigeria.”
Earlier, the President had noted that “The National Identification Number (NIN) is the foundational digital ID for the country. It will cover one of the weaknesses in our security structure. We will be able to easily identify all Nigerians, including the crooks in our midst.
“Both Nigerian citizens and legal residents are expected to obtain the NIN. It will provide access to government services, and will give government useful insights that will enable us utilize scarce resources in a more efficient way.”
Recall that Lagos State has so far recorded the highest number of enrolments in the country with 9.73 million Nigerians captured in the State. This was followed by Kano State, which recorded 7.3 million registered NIN.
Other states that made the top ten in terms of the number of enrolments include Kaduna with 5 million, Ogun with 3.5 million, Oyo with 3.4 million, FCT with 3 million, Katsina with 2.8 million, Rivers with 2.6 million, Delta with 2.3 million, and Niger with 2.2 million.
