Mr Loveday Ogbonna, Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says registration for the National Identity Number (NIN) is free of charge to all Nigerians.
Ogbonna, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that the commission had never charged anyone for NIN registration.
Some residents in Kubwa, Abuja, had claimed that they were made to pay N200 for logistics before being registered at the ongoing NIMC registration.
But, Ogbonna said that it was not the responsibility of the enrollees to pay money to fuel generators at registration centres.
“The commission absolutely condemns this, it is not right for enrollees to pay money for fueling of the generators before being captured but people also react based on how urgent they need NIN.
“Our staff would have told them that there was no light which is not under their control; however, you know that electricity is not under our purview just like the internet.
“Therefore, if you come to a place that we don’t have electricity and people on their own volunteer to contribute money to fuel the generator, it is out of their own free will.
“Although we don’t encourage it, because that will lead to corruption, but if the people on their own decide to contribute we cannot stop them.
“Although we don’t encourage it, because that will lead to corruption, but if the people on their own decide to contribute we cannot stop them.
“All these issues are due to paucity of fund, if there is enough money available for the exercise or steady power supply all these things will not happen,’’ Ogbonna.