*NIMC plans online modification platform portal to reduce bottlenecks

*Registration captures over 104 people, so far

By Juliet Umeh, edited by Prince Osuagwu

Many Nigerians crying over extortion and high handedness of some unscrupulous agents of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC during registration to get the National Identity Number, NIN may soon heave a sigh of relief.

This is as the commission says it is tired of receiving barrages of complaints and has decided to float a modified self service portal which will hand people the power to register conveniently, online.

The Director-General of the Commission, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote who disclosed this in Lagos, recently, said the self help platform will enable Nigerians register themselves from the comfort of their homes without the stress of going to the NIMC office or to any agent.

She however, disclosed that the commission has successfully registered 104 million Nigerians, promising to double the number in the shortest time possible if the portal comes on stream.

She said: “On the NIN registration so far, about 104 million people have been registered which is very good progress that NIMC has made and we have people registering every day across the country and also from the Diaspora.

“So, we are trying to make sure things are done from the comfort of your own with ease to ensure that we remove the bottlenecks of long queues and also to eliminate extortions. We need to ensure that it’s a seamless process for people to get their NINs.

“Already we are testing it internally, at the moment. It’s gone through production environment, quality assurance and quality control units. Once it is ready, it will definitely go live in another week.

“The reason why we have set this portal up is to ensure that you’re able to go online and do your modification yourself. So, it’s called a self-service locally. So you don’t have to go to the NIMC offices or anywhere.”

Coker-Odusote who leads NIMC team on a five day working retreat, said: “As stewards of Nigeria’s national identity, we are tasked with significant responsibility of ensuring the integrity of our data as the foundational sources of truth. Our work impacts millions of lives, shaping the very fabric of our nation and as a result of this herculean responsibility, we are here to re-iterate our commitment to being the example we hope for Nigeria. Bearing this in mind, it is imperative that we equip ourselves with the tools necessary to lead effectively.

Leadership involves critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, strategic planning, mentoring and coaching, and many other skills” she added.