So many Nigerians have been complaining about not getting their National ID card, even after many years of getting the temporary one. I saw someone on Twitter that was even claiming that he had stayed up to 6 years without getting the promised card.
I think I did mine in 2017, and this is 2020 but I'm yet to get the promised call. After I did mine, the officer told me I was going to get it after a few months, but I guess it wasn't really in her power to do that.
You might also be in the same shoes as us, probably getting impatient and having to replace it with your voter's card and driver's license. I have a piece of very good news for you, you don't have to wait any longer as the federal government has provided a digital ID card that will serve as a replacement for the plastic card.
What you should know about the NIMC digital identification
According to the information made known by our correspondent on Thursday, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), will be opting for a digital national identification card instead of the present plastic card. The digital identification will be domiciled with the NIMC office.This was disclosed by Rauf Aregbesola, the current Minister of Interior while briefing State House correspondents shortly after he submitted the report of the committee on Citizen Data Management and Harmonization to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The card is just for convenience, the real thing is the number you have. With that number you are on the databank, everything about you is there. We are just upgrading it such that your DNA too will be there very soon. Even if you are in a car, I will know if you are the one in the car with your DNA, it’s already captured. You are already captured, you cannot run away anymore.” The minister added.
Also speaking on the development, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, explained that the priority of the federal government was on the digital identity card. According to him, the federal government will now focus more on the NIN that on producing cards, since the later is only for record-purposes.
How to get the digital identification
Like I earlier said, you can now get your national ID in a digital form for free. Before we proceed, kindly note that you should already have a National Identification Number (NIN) to get the digital ID. The NIN should be in the temporary ID that was given to you after applying for the ID card.Follow the below steps to get your digital ID:
• The first step is to open your Android play store (I'm yet to verify if it's available in the apple store)
I'll be stopping the tutorials here because the app doesn't support screenshots. The next step after opening the app is to input your NIN. It can be found on the temporal ID that was given to you when you enrolled for the national ID card at the enrolment centre.
Please note that this is different from your BVN, while the NIN is issued by the NIMC, the later is being issued by a financial institution.
Facts you need to know about the NIN:
• It consists of 11 non- intelligible numbers randomly chosen and assigned to an individual at the completion of enrolment into the National Identity Database (NIDB).• It is used to tie all records about an individual in the database and is also used to establish or verify his/her identity.
• All Nigerian citizens and legal residents are eligible to enrol for their NINs. irrespective of age, religion or gender.
• Once an individual is assigned his/her NIN, the number can never be reassigned to another person. In other words, it is unique to you.
• About what happens after an individual's death, the NIN is retired once a death certificate is presented to the Commission and the individual’s death is established
NOTE: Your NIN should be closely guided by you. It should never be revealed to all and sundry, whether on the social media or online except to relevant authorities when requested. Also, printing it in your business card as a contact detail isn't necessary at all.
What more? Kindly drop us a comment if you encounter any issues while using the app, and don't forget to drop us a comment and share with your friends.
Before you leave, also check out our previous article on the 7 easiest ways to receive money transfer in Nigeria.
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