Despite suspension of NIN for JAMB registration, applicants flood NIMC headquarters

Despite the cancellation of the compulsory National Identification Number (NIN) for Joint Admission Matriculation Board(JAMB), prospective applicants still flood the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to register into the identity database.

The JAMB authorities had on Saturday, suspended the requirement as a result of the commission’s inability to manage the population surge.

A visit to NIMC headquarters in Abuja, on Monday, revealed that prospective JAMB applicants continued to flood the Commission to register for their NIN.

One of the applicants, Chinyere who spoke with Tribune Online, explained that although the examination body had suspended the compulsory NIN, registering into the database will help forestall future occurrences.

“Yes, I know that JAMB has cancelled but I just want to do it for future so that even if I want to do JAMB again next year,  I won’t pass through this stress,” she said.

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Similarly, another applicant, who claimed to have come from Keffi, Nasarawa State, disclosed that the NIN, apart from JAMB will be required for other purposes.

“That is why I insisted that I do it because I will need it for another thing again,” he added.

Meanwhile, a highly placed source at the commission, hinted that the population surge mostly experienced last week was because the commission does not have the capacity to manage such.

He attributed the setback to lack of funding stressing that this has affected its operations even in state offices.

“We don’t have enough machines to take care of everyone, and this Commission is not properly funded. It is even a good thing the JAMB decided to suspend the NIN thing because today, we would have had triple crowd of what we had last week,” he added.

The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Aziz, had last week, admitted that the commission lacked the capacity to cope with the surge for enrollment in the last few weeks.

This, he attributed to the shortage of enrolment centres across the country.

According to him, the Commission has only 1,000 centres nationwide instead of the over 4,000 enrollment centres required for the exercise.

He said: “The upsurge and demand for NIN within the limited centres and facilities have caused us to review and rethink, for us to consider a shift in the commencement date for the use of NIN as a prerequisite for JAMB examination registration.

“This is to give more time to intending applicants to obtain NIN, roll out more registration centres and equipment nationwide under the digital identity ecosystem and provide identity authentication and verification services anytime, anywhere.”