NIMC Clears Outstanding Payments to Front-end Partners 

Emma Okonji

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), yesterday, informed industry stakeholders and the general public that it has cleared all outstanding payments owed to the Front-end Partners (FEPs), who are the enrolment partners for all enrolment that successfully hit the database and generated the National Identification Numbers (NINs).

NIMC, in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications Unit, Dr. Kayode Adegoke, noted that the FEPs were contracted in 2021 by the erstwhile administration through the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to scale up enrollment for the National Identification Number (NIN). The statement however, said the FEPs were only paid for one year of enrolment activities.

According to the statement, “Consequent upon the resumption of the NIMC DG/CEO, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, she promised to clear the outstanding owed to the FEPs.  As part of the process of paying the outstanding money, all the FEPs were subjected to a revalidation exercise to ensure they met internationally acceptable standards, adhered to compliance, and followed best ethical practices.

“After the revaluation exercise, the NIMC, with the support of the Identity for Development (ID4D) and the World Bank, began the process for the payment of the outstanding NIN enrolment money owed to the FEPs. The outstanding money was not part of the World Bank-funded NIN Enrolment project.  The NIN Enrolment between 2021 and 2024 by the FEPs was a stop-gap measure approved by the erstwhile Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to scale up NIN enrolment pending the commencement of the World Bank/ID4D project. The NIMC through the ID4D and the World Bank, subsequently, paid all the outstanding money after the thorough evaluation.”

One of the FEPs and MD/CEO, Knowledge Square Ltd, Mr. Phillip Adekunle, said: “I extend our deepest appreciation to the entire leadership of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for your unwavering commitment to enhancing the welfare and operational efficiency of enrollment partners, particularly the proactive efforts in addressing and offsetting the backlog of payments for 2022 to date. This decisive action not only fosters trust and accountability but also strengthens the collaboration between NIMC and its partners. “

Coker-Odusote expressed her gratitude to the FEPs and the commission’s stakeholders for their support and dedication in populating the National Identity Database (NIDB). She reiterated her commitment to ensuring that the commission continues to provide the necessary support to build a credible, reliable, and world-class identity database.  

“The World Bank and ID4D’s valuable support to NIMC is well appreciated,” she further said.