The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that it has cleared all outstanding payments owed to the Front End Partners (FEPs) for all enrolment that successfully hit the database and generated the National Identification Numbers (NINs).

Kayode Adegoke (Ph.D), Head, Corporate Communications Unit of NIMC, made the announcement in a statement issued on Friday, December 6, 2024.

News Express reports 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). However, the FEPs were only paid for one year of enrollment activities.

According to Adegoke, “Consequent upon the resumption of Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote as the NIMC DG/CEO, 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.

“Engr. Coker-Odusote expresses her gratitude to the FEPs and the Commission’s stakeholders for their support and dedication in populating the National Identity Database (NIDB). She reiterates 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 says.”