NIMC to ‘specially’ capture 35 million Nigerians with disabilities

The Director-General of National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Aliyu Aziz has formally determined that all Electronic Registration Centers (ERCs) across all zones in Nigeria should start special services to people with disabilities, including other ‘excluded’ Nigerians.

Over 35 million Nigerians with disabilities are yet to fully enroll in the ongoing exercise.

This move has been applauded by the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Mr. James David Lalu, whose commission was established to promote education, healthcare, socioeconomic, and other associated matters concerning people with disabilities in Nigeria.

“All our zones in Nigeria should commence special services to Persons with Disabilities and other liable Nigerians”, NIMcC helmsman had said in a press release made available to our correspondent.

Mr. David Lalu also confirmed this new development recently in Abuja while speaking to some members of the disability community who had attended a commiseration event on the death of HRH the Mishkaham Mwaghavul of Mangu Local government of Plateau State.

Plateau State-born Mr. Lalu, deaf, was appointed by President Mohammadu Buhari in August 2020 to oversee federal government inclusion efforts for people with disabilities in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary expressed his gratitude to the NIMC for this new directive.

In his address, the ES also stated that the resolution will go a long way in reducing the stress PWDs experience day in day, day out while trying to register with National Identity Management Commission.

Mr. Lalu however, disclosed that about 35 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria need to be captured by the NIMC for proper and convenient identification and inclusion into government policies and programmes, of which the National Commission for People with Disabilities (NCPWD) a pivotal role.

Expressing his displeasure at the attitude of some pension administrators who create unwarranted problems for the people with disabilities during verification exercise year after year on without substantive results, a NIMC spokesman, Dr. Victor Mmadu expressed his gratitude and thanked the ES for his unprecedented show of passion towards advancing the course of Persons with Disabilities.

Tens of millions of regular Nigerians have registered with the NIMC. More individuals are yet to, and enrollments at all centres in all the geopolitical zones are ongoing.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) was established by the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007 with a mandate to establish, own, operate, maintain and manage the National Identity Database in Nigeria, register persons covered by the Act, assign a Unique National Identification Number (NIN) and issue General Multi-Purpose Cards (GMPC) to those who are citizens of Nigeria as well as others legally residing within the country, according to the NIMC website.