Staff of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) mobilize on the street for National Identity Number (NIN) registration to commemorate Year 2022 National Identity Day celebration, otherwise known as 16.9.
By Olutunde Aninkan
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Ogun State took to the streets of Abeokuta at the weekend in a road-walk advocacy for National Identity Number (NIN) registration to commemorate Year 2022 National Identity Day celebration, otherwise known as 16.9.
Nigeria is a forefront member of ID4Africa movement, a movement motivated by the need to promote legal identity for all in Africa and to empower individuals to claim their rights and to benefit from the fruits of development.
A central component ID4Africa movement is to push for declaration of the International Identity Day by the United Nation.
On 29th August, 2019, Nigeria became the first country in the world to adopt 16 September as the national identity day.
The maiden edition of the ID Day was hosted on 16th September 2019.
The annual event is to reference the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 which is to explore what identity means to people and begin to establish legal identity for citizens and legal residents as an existential right.
According to the Ogun State coordinator of NIMC, Mr Dele Lasisi, “ The purpose of the ID day is to raise and promote awareness on the important role identity plays in empowering individuals and enhancing their access to rights, services and the formal economy.”
“It is also an important opportunity to shed light on all government activities and policies relating to Nigeria’s identity management framework”, he stressed.
The NIMC team led by the State Coordinator and clad in NIMC branded shirts was seen distributing flyers urging Nigerians and legal residents who are yet to enroll for NIN to go to the nearest NIMC centers to enroll so as not to miss numerous opportunities, rights and benefits inherent in doing so.
In line with the National Identity Day celebration 2022, themed: Traditional Institutions as Critical Stakeholders for Citizens Mobilization, Mr Dele Lasisi has earlier led NIMC team to Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland at his palace in Abeokuta.
The NIMC team which was received by the Alake Regency Committee, Egba Traditional Chiefs and community leaders were urged to educate their people on the relevance of NIN in Nigeria.
“Following the ban on SIM cards owners that failed to link their SIM with their NIN, the turnout experienced in our centers across the state was massive. But now, it is getting low. We are therefore urging our people who are yet to enroll not to wait till another time when Federal Government will take another punitive measures on people without NIN in Nigeria” Mr Dele Lasisi explained.
