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NIMC CEO commits to offsetting backlog payment to service providers

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said in Abuja yesterday that it would clear outstanding payment owed to its Front-End Partners (FEPs) for a period of two years within the first quarter (Q1) of this year.

Its Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote who gave the assurance in a statement from the Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, also expressed her sympathy with the FEPs. She regretted that they have been burdened with running their businesses for two years without payment.

She said: "The National Identity Management Commission, 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 due audit process to  validate the claims made by the 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 had 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 therefore use the opportunity to reiterate that the revalidation exercise was aimed at sanitizing the system as well as ensuring efficient and effective enrolment processes in line with international best practices of securing citizens' data."

The Commission assured concerned Nigerians that payment would be made to the service providers as planned, while a stakeholders’ engagement summit would take place this month.