As part of measures to reduce large crowds at the offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and also to address the hitches associated with the registration of citizens for the National Identification Number (NIN), NIMC has licensed tecommunications companies to register people who are yet to obtain their NIN.
Guardian reports that the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Aliyu Aziz, who disclosed this during an interview, said some other private and public organisations had also been licensed by the commission to avoid overcrowding at the commission’s offices.
“We have licensed private and public sector organisations including telcos (telecommunications companies) so as to create more centres,” Aziz said.
Aziz’s diclosure came after Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, constituted a committee to address the demands of NIMC employees who had downed tools on January 7 in protest against the poor welfare and exposure to COVID-19. The strike was suspended days after.
Nigerian government in December 2020 announced that all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked. It extended the deadline by six weeks for persons without NIN.
Despite the extension, the process has not been hitch-free at the centres as crowds continue to besiege registration centres nationwide.
Buhari, Ooni met over ethnic crisis in Yorubaland —Aide
President Muhammadu Buhari and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Wednesday, met behind closed doors at the State House, Abuja, to discuss the security situation in Yorubaland caused by the recent ethnic crises.
The PUNCH reports that an aide to the monarch, who pleaded anonymity, said the Ooni conveyed the positions of traditional rulers in South-West on the activities of the herdsmen to the President during the meeting.
“Yes, they met. The meeting was supposed to have held before now but it was postponed till early next month for some reasons. They had to meet again because of the latest development in Yorubaland involving herdsmen.
“They also discussed other important national issue and Kabiesi will give details later”, the aide said.
Photographs released by the presidency in the early hours of Wednesday showed that Buhari’s Aide-de-camp, Col ML Abubakar as well as the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, also attended the meeting.
Buhari inaugurates 18-man committee on alternate school programme
As part of efforts to encourage and provide formal and conventional education and address out-of-school syndrome, President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated an 18-member Presidential Steering Committee on Alternate School Programme (ASP).
Speaking at the inauguration of the Committee on Wednesday, Buhari said that it was unacceptable to see children abandoning formal school to engage in menial jobs and child labour in the markets, streets and workshops.
‘‘While we continue to sustain our efforts on providing formal and conventional education through the activities of the Universal Basic Education Commission under the Federal Ministry of Education, it is still a common sight to notice children abandoning formal school to become apprentices in shops, workshops and markets, whilst many others choose to loiter at markets, become cart pushers and hawkers. These are not acceptable,” Buhari said.
Chairman of the Committee, Umar Farouq, in his remarks, urged members to take the assignment with utmost seriousness because “the future of our young people is at stake”.
