Nigeria relocates National Identity Management Commission to Ministry of Interior to improve NIN/Passport clearance

The Nigerian government has relocated the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to the Ministry of Interior in an effort to improve the process of obtaining a National Identity Number (NIN) and a passport.

The NIMC is responsible for issuing NINs, which are a vital prerequisite for the seamless application and procurement of international passports and various other travel-related documents.

The relocation of the NIMC to the Ministry of Interior is seen as a way to improve coordination and cooperation between the two agencies, which should lead to a more efficient and streamlined process for obtaining NINs and passports.

The decision to relocate the NIMC was made after the Nigerian government received complaints about the slow and inefficient process of obtaining NINs and passports.

In an earlier report, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo had demanded that over 200,000 passport application backlogs in the country be cleared.

Following on Tuesday, he also disclosed that over 55,000 had been cleared within five days of his initial deadline.

According to Tunji-Ojo, the clearance is needed to reduce scarcity and delay around fresh passport issuance which often promotes corruption in the system.

He said,

“What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses.
“In line with the directive of Mr. President, it can no longer be business as usual.
We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports. And we understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right.’’

The relocation of the NIMC to the Ministry of Interior is a positive step towards improving the process of obtaining NINs and passports in Nigeria. It is hoped that this will lead to a more efficient and streamlined process that will benefit all Nigerians.