The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has refuted allegations that it charges fees in US dollars for modifying National Identification Number (NIN) data on its portal.
News About Nigeria understands that the commission faced criticism on Monday after a social media user accused it of charging in foreign currency.
The controversy began when a user known as “Akwa Ibom First Son” posted a screenshot on social media, purportedly from the NIMC website, showing fees of $20.78 for changes to birth dates, addresses, names, and phone numbers.
“Dear NIMC, can you explain to Nigerians why your website charges Nigerians in dollars?” the user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In its defence, NIMC clarified that it does not charge fees in dollars and attributed the issue to the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
To address the problem, the NIMC advised users to turn off their VPNs and try accessing the portal again.
If the issue persists, users are encouraged to contact the support team for further assistance.
“Thank you for reaching us. Please note that the NIMC self-modification portal does not charge in dollars. This issue often arises due to the use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), which can cause the website to detect a different location and currency,” the commission explained.
The NIMC Self-Service Modifications portal allows citizens and legal residents aged 16 and older to request changes to their name, phone number, date of birth, and address. Some data fields are non-updatable.
According to the NIMC website, the approved fee for a change of date of birth request is N15,000.
