The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said it has completed all plans to deploy the National Identification Number (NIN) authentication and verification Service link to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) and Banks.

The General Manager, Information Technology and Identity Database (IT/IDD), Mr. Chuks Onyepunuka, in an interview, stated that the deployment was part of the Commission’s strategy to ensure the proposed September commencement of the mandatory use of NIN.

According to him, all Government institutions and Agencies who require the biometrics of individuals to offer functional services or for security reasons are required by Law to key into the NIMC National Identity Database for the purpose of identity management and verification.

He noted that NIMC has before now, deployed the authentication and verification service link to the office of one of the security agencies and would soon after extend to other security agencies. The NIMC is now set to deploy a pilot phase to MDA’s and Banks.

Mr. Onyepunuka further noted that NIMC is discussing with on the MDA’s and Banks to enable them ascertain the infrastructure to achieve the deployment of the NIN authentication and verification service link to their various offices nationwide.

“These institutions include the banks, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Ministry of Aviation, Joint Tax Board (JTB), State House, National Universities Commission (NUC), National Pension Commission (PenCom), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), etc.,” he further noted.

At a commercial demonstration session which held at the NIMC headquarters recently, Mr. Onyepunuka disclosed that the verification and authentication of the NIN can be done at two levels: the online, which has two approaches, and the offline platform.

“The online version has the web portal approach used for NIN verification alone; while the desk top is a robust windows based approach that allows an individual or organisation to conduct the NIN, Fingerprint, demographics and document number verification,” he said.

He explained that on presentation of the NIN or the fingerprints, the individual or organisation requesting such proof shall utilise the online National Identity Management System (NIMS) NIN verification service through the authentication and verification Clearing House to confirm such identity.

He added: “For the offline platform, on presentation of the National Electronic Identity Card, the individual or organisation requesting such identity, shall authenticate the identity by conducting a Match on Card verification (MoC), an irrefutable offline confirmation by requesting the person to provide his finger prints on a card reading device to enable the matching of the finger print provided with the finger prints stored in the chip of the National eID Card.”

He further explained that the individual or organisation requesting such a proof has access rights and privileges to determine what category of verification he is allowed to conduct on the individual and what category of data he is allowed to view.

He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the over 400 enrolment centres nationwide to enrol for the NIN because no government agency/institution, bank, or insurance company, etc., offering services and/or involved in transactions requiring the identity of an individual, will be allowed to conduct such a transaction without first demanding for the NIN.

“Eligible applicants are urged to utilize the NIMC pre-enrolment portal, https://penrol.nimc.gov.ng, to pre-enrol for the NIN before proceeding to any NIMC enrolment centre closest to them for biometrics data capture.” He reiterated.