The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have inaugurated a joint committee to lead public awareness and grassroots mobilisation efforts for the nationwide ward-level enrolment of the National Identification Number (NIN).
The committee was inaugurated at the NOA headquarters in Abuja as part of efforts to deepen citizens’ access to the NIN and expand identity coverage across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Communication, Mallam Bala Musa, commended NIMC for its commitment to expanding identity inclusion nationwide.
He described the NIN as critical to national planning, security, social protection and financial inclusion.
Issa-Onilu emphasised that the success of the ward-level enrolment initiative would depend not only on operational deployment but also on sustained public engagement and sensitisation.
He described the partnership between the two agencies as timely and strategic, noting that NOA’s expansive communication network would support the initiative. According to him, the agency collaborates with more than 200 radio stations, leading television networks, social media platforms, its AI chatbot CLHEEAN, and operates through 818 offices nationwide.
He added that sensitisation messages would be inclusive, culturally sensitive and accessible, particularly to underserved and rural communities. The agency, he said, would also proactively address possible misconceptions surrounding the enrolment process.
In her remarks, NIMC’s Director of Operations and Team Lead of the committee, Mrs Uche Chigbo, disclosed that the Commission plans to expand enrolment activities from local government areas to ward levels, with a target of achieving 95 per cent coverage nationwide by the end of the year.
She announced that the ward-level enrolment exercise will commence on February 16, with licensed partners engaged to support the rollout and ensure wider reach.
According to her, the intensive phase of the exercise will last six weeks, with five days dedicated to each ward across the country, targeting individuals across all demographics.
Members of the committee from NOA include Mallam Bala Musa, Director of Media and Communication; Mrs Adaline Waye, Director of Community Outreach and Development; and Mrs Sherifat Adegbesan, Special Assistant to the DG on Intergovernmental Affairs.