The National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC) has unveiled a mobile application for modification of data on the National Identification Number (NIN).
Nigerians can make corrections of name, date of birth, phone numbers incorrectly registered with their NIN on the mobile application, the commission said in a post on X.
The application and online portal allows visitors to register to use the service.
Thereafter, it requests for visitors’ NIN, last name, email address before launching the data modification channel.
Previously, modifying data on NIN has been challenging for Nigerians. Hundreds of people besiege NIMC offices in different parts of the country to either register for the NIN or requesting to correct their data.
It was more worrisome for many since 2021 when the NIMC announced that fees between N5,000 and N15,000 have to be paid to rectify their incorrect data on NIN database.
The charge, according to NIMC regional coordinator in Alausa, Lagos at the time, Funmi Opensanwo, varies from correction of details like name, address, card renewal or replacement and date of birth.
“The money we charge is for modification fee,” Opensanwo said on Channels TV in January 2021.
“For the date of birth correction, the processing fee is N15,000. For card renewal or card replacement, there is a processing fee of N5,000.
“For a modification of your name and address, there is a fee of N5,000.”
She noted that the fees “are for services and (things) to be corrected. They are payable to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and not anybody.”
The NIMC official’s explanations was in response to allegations that officials of the commission have been demanding illegal fees from Nigerians to link their NIN to their sim cards.
As it was in 2021, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered all mobile networks to ensure all phone numbers are linked to an NIN.
The NCC has extended the mandatory linking of NIN has extended to bank accounts as defaulters risk having their accounts suspended.