TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER REGISTRATION IN ISA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The deficiency of awareness and knowledge among the people on the importance of registration
of national identity number and inadequate centers coupled with lack of government commitments
to build up a national system of identity management that could serve its present needs and meet
its future desires hinder the registration and lead to low coverage. The study examines the trends
of national identification number registration in the study area. It used both qualitative and
quantitative methods. Two set of data were used: one was obtained from archives of the National
Identity Management Commission (NIMC) 2018-2022 and the other was through in-depth
interview involving head and two others NIMC officials in the study area. Line graph was used to
show the trends and content analysis employed to highlight the major challenges facing national
identification number registration. It reveals that at the being (2018) the registration is low and it
shot up in 2021 and 2022, but in 2020 the center registered the lowest records of national
identification number do to COVID-19 experience in the country and many people were unable to
register at that period. It also shows that, the challenges that hindered the smooth running of
registration of national identification number include lack of awareness, people perceptions, level
of government commitments, inadequate centers and lack of adequate funding among others. The
study recommends that there is need for massive awareness campaigns on the national
identification number registration and it importance for national planning by the governments as
well as more centres should be established by National Identity Management Commission.