TheCable

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it has over 700, 000 National e-ID cards yet to be collected from its offices nationwide.

Hadiza Dagabana, the commission’s general manager legal and regulatory services, disclosed this in an interview with NAN in Abuja.

Dagabana urged applicants, who are yet to collect their card, to request for their Identity card nationwide, or request for its transfer to their new location.

She said that the commission has registered over 37 million Nigerians in its national identity database out of over 200 million.

She called on enrollees, who have changed location in which they registered for the National Identification Number (NIN) to apply for the transfer of their National e-ID card.

The director general said that the process allows successful enrollees to request for the transfer of their National e-ID Card to any NIMC registration and card collection centres of their choice for collection.

Dagabana said the transfer request could be made from any of the NIMC registration and card collection centres nationwide, other than where the individual enrolled for the NIN.

The acting director-general explained that some have either relocated from the locations where they enrolled, or have changed the phone numbers they provided at the point of enrolment into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

“As I’m telling you now, we have over 700, 000 cards that are lying there in our offices, that the owners have not come to claim,” she said.

“Because when you registered with us you provide a contact number and email address. We have spent money sending SMS to the numbers that were provided for us.

“Some people have moved, some have changed their numbers, they have not come to our database to update their numbers, so how are we going to know that you have changed your numbers.”

In an interview with TheCable last week, Dagabana clarified the controversy over N5,000 payment for renewal of national identity cards.