The National Identity Management Commission says it has begun ward-level registration and enrolment for the National Identification Number in Jigawa.

Its coordinator, Aminu Jakada, said this on Tuesday in Dutse. He said the commission began the nationwide exercise on February 16 as part of efforts to enhance access to registration services nationwide.

Mr Jakada said the development was sequel to a presidential directive mandating the commission to extend NIN enrolment to the ward levels nationwide.

He said that President Bola Tinubu directed NIMC to boost the number of people enrolled in the national database.

The coordinator said the exercise focused on women and children, as many of them are yet to register for NIN in Jigawa.

“NIMC has deployed systems to each ward of the federation, including Jigawa. We’ve deployed enrolment devices across the state to register more and more people.

“There are benefits in having NIN. Many things require it, such as school enrolment, international passport, phone number registration, and bank account—everything requires NIN now. It is good for eligible persons to register once and for all,” he said.

Mr Jakada said the enrolment is free of charge and urged Nigerians to report extortion to security agencies and their offices, warning that erring personnel would be sanctioned.

He urged local authorities, community and religious leaders to sensitise the people on the importance of NIN and to mobilise participation in the exercise.

(NAN)