By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has assured Front-End Partners (FEPs) that all outstanding payments spanning two years will be resolved by March 2024.
Its acting Director-General, Mrs Abisoye Coker-Odusote, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed sympathy with FEPs, burdened with running their businesses for years without payment.
Front-End Partners is one of the firms contracted for the enrollment of eligible citizens for the National Identity Number (NIN) scheme. On October 2023, the company lamented how it was owed for 22 months in violation of contract terms.
Mrs Coker-Odusote stated that a revalidation exercise uncovered discrepancies in FEPs’ submitted invoices, prompting a review for accurate enrolment information.
“NIMC, under my leadership, has conducted a revalidation exercise to review the outstanding payments which the new management inherited with a view to offsetting the debt after going through the due audit process to validate the claims made by FEPs.
“In the process, we found out that some of the invoices submitted by the FEPs did not tally with the enrolment figures shown on the database thus prompting the revalidation exercise to confirm the true and accurate enrolment information.
“Notwithstanding, we are wrapping up the audit process, and the activation of the FEPs will be done according to the outcome of the validation exercise.
“We sympathise with our partners over the delay and appeal for understanding especially as the new NIMC management is just a few months in the saddle and has been working on resolving all inherited debts.
“Unfortunately, the previous management could not clear the outstanding dues because of lack of funds but we are working hard to source for the funds to clear the debt.
“I am therefore using the opportunity to reiterate that the revalidation exercise was aimed at sanitising the system as well as ensuring efficient and effective enrolment processes in line with international best practices of securing citizens’ data,” the DG said
She also announced plans for a stakeholders’ engagement summit this month
Aduragbemi Omiyale