NIMC Waives N28,574 Fee for DOB Errors Caused by Agents

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that it will waive the N28,574 fee for correcting the date of birth (DOB) on the National Identification Number (NIN) database if the error was caused by an enrollment officer. This decision comes in response to public demands for compliance with Nigerian Data Protection Laws, particularly regarding DOB modification fees.

Festus Esangbedo, the Head of Legal Regulatory Compliance Service Department at NIMC, clarified that the fee increase to N28,574 for DOB corrections is intended for legitimate modification services, not for error corrections. If the error is attributable to NIMC or its agents, the commission will provide the necessary modifications free of charge. This policy aligns with the Nigerian Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, which mandates that data rectifications due to errors made by data controllers or processors should not be charged to the data subject.

The commission emphasized that the self-service modification system includes multiple verification steps to ensure accuracy. These steps include the use of the National Population Commission (NPC) certificate number, which auto-fills the DOB field, and a review of all information before final submission. This approach ensures that errors made by the commission or its agents are corrected without cost to the applicant, while modifications requested by applicants based on new documentation are subject to fees.

Esangbedo further explained that the modification fees are crucial for maintaining service quality and preventing fraudulent modifications on the commission’s portal. The fee of N28,574 applies exclusively to voluntary modifications initiated by applicants after their initial registration, serving as a value-added service for individuals seeking to update their DOB based on new documentation.

The Data Privacy Lawyers Association (DPLAN) had previously demanded that NIMC comply with data protection laws, highlighting that the commission cannot charge for data rectifications that are not the citizen’s fault. According to Article 36, Section 4 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP ACT) 2023 General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025, citizens should not be required to pay for data modifications if the error was made by a data controller or processor.

This policy change by NIMC is a significant step towards ensuring that citizens are not unfairly burdened with correction fees for errors made by the commission or its agents. It underscores the commission’s commitment to data accuracy and compliance with data protection regulations, providing a clearer pathway for citizens to correct their personal information without financial penalties.