The Federal Government will begin the issuance of the National Identity Numbers on August 1, 2011.
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam
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The Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, said this during a meeting with key stakeholders on the project in Lagos on Tuesday.
The NIN is an 11-digit number that will be given to every Nigerian.
Onyemenam said the first set of NINs would be generated on August 1 and the recipients' biometric data would be collected for national identity management purpose.
When the numbers are issued, they will be uploaded on to chip-embedded multifunctional smartcards along with the citizens' personal information, according to him.
The cards, he noted, would also serve as national identity cards for Nigerians.
Onyemenam stated that the first national ID cards would be issued on September 30 as part of the October 1 Independence celebrations.
He said, "Our plan is to go live on August 1 and issue the first NIN. The first national ID cards will be issued as part of the October 1 celebrations.
"Once a number is issued, it is irrevocable and can never be used by any other person, even in death."
He noted that the pilot exercise was inaugurated on July 27 across eight locations, including Lagos, Abuja, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, and Kaduna, among others.
Onyemenam said 100 million Nigerians would be issued with their identification numbers in the first 30 months, while the entire populace was expected to have been registered within the next 60 months.
The NIMC boss further said that leading consulting firm, KPMG, had been appointed as the project manager to help monitor the implementation of the all-important project.
He explained that Chams and One Secure Card Consortium had been appointed as front-end partners for data capture, personalisation of smart ID cards and deployment of smartcard verification devices.
This aspect of the project, which is to be financed by the private sector, has already attracted six banks, which are currently doing their due diligence ahead of the final investment decision.
The banks are First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Skye Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc.
He said the commission was in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria, adding that the the apex bank would soon declare the NIN a key element of the Know-Your-Customer requirement for any financial transaction in the country.
Onyemenam noted that the commission was also mandated by the Act with which it was set up to harmonise all biometric databases across many organisations in the public sector.
Some of the government agencies, whose data would be harmonised, Onyemenam said, were the CBN, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Prison Service, Corporate Affairs Commission, National Health Insurance Scheme, Pension Commission of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Others are the Nigeria Police Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission and Federal Inland Revenue Service.
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