The National Assembly has initiated the process of repealing and re-enacting the NIMC Act No. 23, with the goal of strengthening the regulatory functions of the National Identity Management Commission.
According to The PUNCH, this announcement was made in a statement signed by the NIMC’s Head of Communications, Kayode Adegoke, on Friday.
The proposed NIMC Bill is designed to improve the effectiveness and inclusivity of the National Identity Management System by broadening the range of registrable individuals.
Expected benefits from the overhaul include improved national security, more efficient service delivery, and enhanced financial inclusion.
“The amendments seek to fortify the foundational framework of the NIMC and its operations by expanding the scope of registrable persons.
“The benefit to the country is a more comprehensive and inclusive identification system, which enhances national security, facilitates efficient service delivery, and promotes financial inclusion,” the statement read.
NIMC highlighted that the bill will streamline personal data sharing while incorporating strong data protection measures to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of individuals’ personal information, thereby fostering trust among citizens in the management of their data.
The proposed legislation is expected to enhance the commission’s administrative enforcement power, ensuring timely and accurate compliance with ID registration requirements.
When enacted, the NIMC repeal and enactment bill will lead to a more efficient registration process, reducing bureaucratic obstacles and improving the reliability of Nigeria’s ID system.
Despite achieving the milestone of enrolling around 107 million Nigerians for the National Identity Number, the Commission faces accusations of privacy violations as the custodian of the national database.
NIMC has denied any data breaches, asserting that the national identity registry under its custody remains secure.
However, digital rights advocates contend that NIMC has failed to adequately protect the data entrusted to it by Nigerians.
They argued that the Commission needs to take responsibility, acknowledge any data leaks, and prevent future occurrences.
Meanwhile, the World Bank is supporting Nigeria’s NIN project through the Digital Identification for Development project.
Initially, the Development Finance Institution set a target for Nigeria to enroll 148 million Nigerians for NIN by June 2024. However, Nigeria did not meet this deadline.
As a result, the World Bank has restructured the $430 million ID4D project to avoid its termination, extending the project closure date by two years beyond the original June 30, 2024 deadline.
