The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has shifted the date for the commencement of the mandatory use of the National Identification Number (NIN) from September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016.

The Commission had earlier directed that all transactions involving the identification of individuals as specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, must be done with the NIN beginning from September 1, 2015.

The extension of the September date, according to a statement made available on Monday by the General Manager, Corporate Communications of the commission, Abdulhamid Umar, follows the recent directive by President Muhammadu Buhari, that all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) should expeditiously harmonise their biometric databases.

It said the extension would enable the commission progress further all ongoing efforts with the MDAs that have reached advanced stages of harmonisation with NIMC including the CBN, FRSC, FIRS, PenCom, INEC, NHIS, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD).

“This would help avoid the situation similar to what was experienced when the CBN wanted to enforce the cutoff date for the BVN, leading to a late rush to meet the deadline/massive turn out of citizens and the troubles they had to go through. It would also help ensure that the need for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this transition period when the harmonization is being implemented.

“Furthermore, management has taken into consideration the fact that the CBN had extended by a few months, the deadline for the completion of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise thus extending the time frame for the completion of the harmonization it has begun with the CBN on the BVN programme,” it said.

The commission noted that with the planned harmonisation which will effectively link all MDA biometric databases, Nigerians will not be required to have their biometrics taken every time by these institutions in the near future.

“Also the MDAs will invariably act as valid agents to the NIMC, collecting their own data as well as providing data required for the issuance of the NIN by the NIMC, based on the minimum national standards for biometric and demographic data capture already set by the MDAs,” it said.

NIMC has also concluded plans to provide pre-enrolment services on smart phones.

This, according to the statement, will ensure that citizens can start their enrolment using their smart phones, a development that would ensure that in the next couple of months, citizens of all ages, would have completed their demographic enrolment before they proceed to NIMC Enrolment Centres for their biometric data capture to complete their enrolment.