NIN Registration: FG Axes NIMC Staff For Extortion
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – It is not a cheering New Year for three staff of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as they are now jobless over allegations of extorting Nigerians registering for the National Identification Number (NIM)
The unlucky NIMC officials were axed on Sunday, January 3, 2021 accused of extortion at some enrolment centres across the country.
Official reports confirmed that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, ordered that staff involved in the alleged squeezing of applicants at NIMC state offices in Bauchi and Kaduna be suspended immediately.
A statement by spokesperson for NIMC issued in Abuja, Kayode Adegoke, said the act was inimical to the Federal Government’s policy directive that requires mobile network subscribers to update their Subscriber Identification Module registration with a valid NIN.
The statement, which reiterated the Minister’s zero-tolerance stance on extortion, bribery and corruption, said such unethical practices must not be condoned.
It further stated that if such criminal acts are tolerated rather than being nipped in the bud with harsh penalties against the culprits, they have the potency of derailing the SIM-NIN integration project of government.
The statement also reaffirmed that enrolment for NIN was free of charge, adding that no one should pay to obtain an enrolment form or have their biometrics captured.
“All personnel involved in the enrolment and NIN issuance exercise must carry out their respective duties professionally; fairly and with integrity.
“In light of the above, we wish to call on the general public; to assist us in putting our commitments into action; by sending proof of any nefarious activity within and around our enrolment centres”, the statement said.
It therefore urged Nigerians to be alert and provide snapshots; footage; and other concrete proofs that would help government rein in the unscrupulous elements trying to derail the programme.
There has been public outcry that some NIMC offices, particularly at enrolment centres in Bauchi and Kaduna, were capitalising on the rush for NIM to criminally extort Nigerians.
