Scandal: Nigerians Lament National ID Racketeering, Extortion

Some aggrieved Nigerians have condemned alleged extortion by officials of the National Identity Management Commission NIMC from those seeking to enrol on the National Identity Number.

Some of the complaints were recorded in Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.

They claimed some officials had been demanding bribes ranging from N1,000 to N5, 000 for enrollment and are deliberately making the process difficult and creating roadblocks to force applicants to seek back door assistance.

According to some of the sources, the enrolment process which had hitherto been going well suddenly became difficult with a nationwide panic raised following the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board announcement in September that the NIN would be compulsory for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Investigations revealed that some prospective applicants and parents who also wanted to obtain their national ID cards had to endure endless hours of waiting at designated locations while some claimed some of the officials left them unattended to just to encourage underhand dealings.

Mrs Umeh, a parent, claimed she was so frustrated with the process and had to part with some money to get it done after waiting for so long. ” I got to the venue very early and wrote my name as number 85 on the list. The situation was always the same every time I go there. I just couldn’t bear it anymore.”

Pa Balogun, an elderly man in Sango Ota Local Government of Ogun State advised government to give ample time for Nigerians to acquire the NIN with ease before making it compulsory as it has created a perfect excuse for some extortionists.

Segun Olawuyi, a Lagos based businessman said government should make the process more transparent and extortion free. More centres and officials should be involved. The commission should also be well funded to prevent lack of funding being used as excuse for extortion. ” I have heard several complaints about the process myself. Though I got mine relatively easy my neighbors have complained about their inability to get it done quickly for the sake of their daughter who will be writing the JAMB UTME Exams later this year. Some of the officials were also complaining about poor funding from the office.