The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has granted a licence for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to register inmates in the over 252 custodial centres across the country for National Identity Numbers (NIN).
The approval followed a request made by the Acting Controller General of the NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche, who paid a visit to the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, in her office.
The Acting Controller-General said the licence to carry out registration of inmates for NIN would eliminate the exclusion of inmates from the country’s national development plans, ensure their safety and security, and facilitate their smooth recapture in times of jailbreaks.
The NCoS boss said the visit to the headquarters of NIMC was in search of collaboration that would enable the Service to carry out its mandate seamlessly following ongoing reforms of the Correctional Service system.
According to Nwakuche, “There are lots of socio-economic developments within the Correctional Service systems which had led to a number of inmates obtaining University degrees, Masters Degrees and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in various fields.”
He said such inmates should not be excluded from the national development plans of the country as they should be integrated into society to become useful for their families and the country.
Nwakuche further emphasized, “Inside the Correctional centres are those awaiting trials whose innocence and otherwise has to be decided by the Courts, but in times of national planning, census and other critical national development issues, they should not be disallowed from participating.”
The DG/CEO of NIMC, Engr Coker-Odusote, who granted the licence, said NIN has become critical and essential to the country’s national development plans, stressing that NIMC has made significant progress with the private sector, especially the banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as all bank accounts are now linked with the NIN.
Coker-Odusote said, “The Eight Points Agenda of President Bola Tinubu are also anchored on the country’s digital identity or National Identity Number,” stressing that, for instance, NIN was tied to student loans to eradicate duplicity and prevent ghost beneficiaries.
She expressed delight in the partnership with the NCoS, saying the Commission had already partnered with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and other agencies to facilitate the smooth delivery of their constitutional mandates.
Coker-Odusote commended the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for his dynamic leadership and role in ensuring the delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigeria through various reforms.
