The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, announced that it has cleared all outstanding payments owed to Front End Partners, FEPs, for enrolling individuals into the National Identity Database and generating National Identification Numbers.
This disclosure was made in a statement on Friday, signed by the Head of the Corporate Communications Unit, Kayode Adegoke which noted that the FEPs were contracted in 2021 by the previous administration to scale up NIN enrollment but had only been compensated for the first year of their services, leaving a backlog of payments.
Following the resumption of Abisoye Coker-Odusote as NIMC’s Director-General, addressing the outstanding payments became a priority.
The commission noted that a revalidation exercise had been conducted for all FEPs to ensure they meet internationally recognised standards and adhere to ethical practices.
With support from the Identity for Development initiative and the World Bank, NIMC began disbursing the outstanding funds.
The commission clarified that the payments were related to NIN enrollment activities conducted between 2021 and 2024, which were part of a stopgap measure approved by the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
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“These activities were separate from the World Bank-funded NIN Enrollment project,” it noted.
In response to the payments, Managing Director of Knowledge Square Ltd., Phillip Adekunle expressed his appreciation for the commitment of the NIMC towards ensuring welfarism of its partners.
“I extend our deepest appreciation to the entire leadership of the National Identity Management Commission for your unwavering commitment to enhancing the welfare and operational efficiency of enrollment partners.
“Particularly, the proactive efforts in addressing and offsetting the backlog of payments from 2022 to date. This decisive action not only fosters trust and accountability but also strengthens the collaboration between NIMC and its partners,” he said.
The Managing Director of Real Positive Friends, Pastor Vincent Emiowele, also expressed gratitude, saying “the payment of the outstanding money by NIMC is well appreciated and commendable.
“NIMC management, especially the Director-General/CEO, should be commended for paying all the outstanding money owed to the FEPs. It is timely and highly appreciated.”
NIMC’s Director-General, Coker-Odusote thanked the FEPs and the commission’s stakeholders for their support and dedication in populating the National Identity Database.
She reiterated her commitment to ensuring that the commission continues to build a credible, reliable, and world-class identity database.
“The World Bank and ID4D’s valuable support to NIMC is well appreciated,” she added.
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