By Stella Odueme
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is seeking a partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to simplify and decentralise its online registration process, enabling prospective corps members to complete the exercise from anywhere in the world.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this during a visit to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, at her office in Abuja.
Nafiu explained that the existing registration arrangement had posed challenges for prospective corps members, particularly foreign-trained graduates who are required to travel to Nigeria for registration, as well as locally trained graduates who often spend long hours at designated cybercafés to complete the process.
According to the Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu he said the Scheme was exploring the development of an application that would allow prospective corps members to register using their personal devices, irrespective of their location.
According to him, biometric capturing remains a major challenge to achieving the proposed arrangement, hence the need for collaboration with NIMC, which manages Nigeria's national identity database.
The NYSC chief expressed confidence that the Commission's biometric infrastructure and identity management expertise would enable the Scheme to access the necessary data for credible registration and verification.
He described NIMC as a strategic institution in national identity management and reaffirmed the NYSC's commitment to adopting modern technology to improve its operations and service delivery.
Nafiu also commended the Commission's efforts towards ensuring that Nigerians have verifiable identities and offered the support of the NYSC in advancing the initiative.
He expressed optimism that the proposed collaboration would make the next online registration exercise seamless, allowing eligible graduates to register from the comfort of their homes.
The NYSC Director-General added that access to reliable identity data would also support effective planning and national development.
Responding, Coker-Odusote pledged NIMC's support for the initiative, assuring that the partnership would make registration services more accessible and convenient for eligible Nigerian youths.
She explained that Nigerians with National Identification Numbers (NIN) who download the NINAuth application would be able to complete their registration processes from their homes.
The NIMC chief further disclosed that the digital identity platform could support registration and verification for examinations and other services, including WAEC, JAMB, NECO, NYSC and international travel.
She commended Nafiu for his initiatives and leadership, assuring him of NIMC's commitment to sustaining a productive working relatonship with the Scheme.