Senate asks Education ministry, JAMB, NIMC to review stance on NIN

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The Senate has asked the Federal Ministry of Education, Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to review the implementation of the policy on the mandatory requirement of the National Identification Number (NIN) for registration of candidates for the Joint Admission Matriculation Board examination.

According to the Senate, a review of the policy is aimed at extending the JAMB registration deadline or suspending this requirement until there is a seamless and well-organized process for obtaining the national identity number.

The upper chamber as well urged the Federal Ministry of Education and NIMC to introduce/streamline a simple and decentralized NIN registration process where students would be able to obtain their NIN in their various accredited school premises.

These resolutions followed a motion by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South) on the untold hardship caused by the introduction of NIN as a compulsory requirement for JAMB registration.

Coming under Senate order 42 and 52, Ubah said he was constrained by the widespread hardship young, promising and cerebral Nigerians are currently facing as a result of the decision of JAMB to include NIN as d precondition for registration of UTME candidates in 2021.

He said this action is an inconsiderate and premature decision that has further complicated the already rigorous process of both registering for JAMB examination and procuring the NIN.

Ubah said “it is pertinent to call the attention of this chamber to the fact that JAMB initially attempted to start the implementation of this policy in 2020 but had to postpone it owing to technical problems and irregularities bedeviling the process of Obtaining NIN from the National Identity Management Company (NIMC).

“From all indications, these technical hitches are yet to be addressed; the long queues at NIMC centers are a testimony to the fact that a well-organized process is yet to be put in place to ease the stressful process of registration.

“Available statistics indicate that in 2020, more than two million candidates registered for JAMB examination. Presently, the introduction of NIN threatens to significantly lower the number of registered candidates in 2021 because the majority of these candidates are just attaining the age when they can obtain the NIN, This is a brazen infringement on the right to education of young Nigerians who may not be able to meet the deadline 10 obtain their NIN and register for JAMB.

“Mr. President, you would agree with me on the fact this idea, even though innovative in nature should be suspended until the conditions for obtaining NIN Improves tremendously”.

The senator argued that the board (JAMB) already has enough logistical and technical problems to tackle, stressing that adding more complications is counterproductive and “will only serve as a hindrance to young Nigerians desirous of getting into higher institutions to further their education”.