The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will now prioritise applicants of the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination/Direct Entry examinations for the enrolment and issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN).
To this end, the NMC has directed its enrollment centres nationwide to give preference to these applicants.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board in October had said it will no longer register candidates who do not have the NIN for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
It warned that only intending candidates who have the NIN will be registered, beginning with the 2020 examination.
However, the House of Representatives last month asked JAMB to suspend the “no NIN, no JAMB” policy until 2021.
The National Identity Number (NIN) is the nation’s database capturing personal data towards assigning a unique identity to every Nigerian.
A statement signed by the spokesperson of NIMC, Abdulhamid Umar, Thursday afternoon, said the NIMC DG/CEO, Aliyu Aziz, made the announcement at the NIMC Headquarters.
“Pursuant to the collaboration between the Commission and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to make the NIN a compulsory requirement for all applicants wishing to sit for the 2020 UTME/DE Examinations, which is in line with the enforcement of the mandatory use of the NIN as provided in the NIMC ACT of 2007,” the statement reads.
It said Mr Aziz noted that the new policy forms part of the ongoing efforts to curb unwholesome acts and infractions that have characterised UTME/DE exams at the point of registration, examination, and admission of applicants over the years.
He advised parents and guardians to guide their wards in carefully filling the enrolment forms to ensure names are arranged properly and the correct date of birth registered.
“Where an applicant is below 16 years, such applicant(s) would be required to provide the NIN of his/her Parent or Guardian and they must confirm that all information supplied to the enrolment officer on the applicant’s monitor in front of them at the point of registration is correct,” he said.
He said UTME/DE applicants are to be accorded special consideration in line with established standard of the enrolment processes that include capturing of biometric and demographic data of any applicant before the issuance of the NIN and verifying the applicants at the point of UTME/DE registration.
Mr. Aliyu said all school authorities and local education secretaries should inform and educate parents and students on the importance of registering for the National Identification Number (NIN) to enable students and applicants to sit for the 2020 UTME/DE registration commencing in January.
