…As FG extends registration by May
By: Emmanuel Nlewedum
Efforts by the Federal Government to ensure that every Nigerian obtains a National Identification Number (NIN) seems not to be going as planned for the masses especially in Rivers State.
This is just as Rivers residents have accused officials of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) at the Port Harcourt Office of extorting applicants.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that the lamentation follows federal government’s extension of deadline for the registration, verification and linkage of the National Identity Number (NIN) to Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards by one month.
The FG, through the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantani had announced that failure to register and own a National Identity Number (NIN) will attract 14 years imprisonment.
According to the minister, “It is an offence to enjoy any government service without having NIN.”
Investigations by Port Harcourt Spectator revealed that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) careless to attend to the scores of intending applicants who flood the commission’s on daily basis for enrollment.
Our correspondent who visited the NIMC State Centre at GRA in Port Harcourt, reports that forms were sold at N50 at the gate by agents of the NIMC officials who also offered to help people facilitate their registration for N5,000.
Some applicants who spoke with our correspondent lamented the stress they go through to get themselves enrolled.
They called for urgent intervention from the government to address the situation.
One of the agents who approached our correspondent for help said, they work for NIMC officials, while they get their pay on monthly basis.
He said, “Applicants are been charged N5,000 for express because they did not come when it was being done for free.
“It is better you buy the form here at the gate for just N50, because you can’t even go inside there talkless of getting it there. If you want express registration, you will have to pay 5,000, but if you don’t want express, you will buy the form, fill it and come back in the next three weeks or more as the case may be”.
Investigations revealed further that the situation is about the same in virtually all the registration centres spread across Port Harcourt.
At Eligbolo and Rumukwurausi Communities, applications told newsmen that, “Some indigenes are being charged N2500 while non indigenes were asked to pay N5000 for express registration.
“Those of us who cannot pay have been coming everyday to be captured but nobody is attending to us”.
Efforts to reach the NIMC management in Rivers State proved abortive as our reporter was denied access by one of the officials at the gate in his attempt to enter the NIMC premises.
The official said, “We are doing our work here, if you want further information, go to our website, nobody is permitted to enter here except they comply”.
