The digital tokens which comprises of 16 alphabets and numbers, will replace the NIN from January 2022.
Pantami said Nigerians can use the virtual NIN when verifying their identity with an agent or enterprise that needs to confirm their identity before offering them a service (banks, airports, shopping delivery, among others)
He also noted that virtual NIN tokens are merchant-specific and expire after a set period of time (usually 72 hours). This means that a token generated for company A cannot be used or verified by company B.
Pantami who was represented at the event by Aliyu Aziz, NIMC director-general, said;
“The Federal Government has adopted the solution to ensure the privacy of personally identifiable information of individuals during verification transactions and to reduce incidences of illegal retrieval, usage, transfer, and storage of NIN. Full implementation commences 1st January 2022.
“The NIN Tokenization solution is a feature of the NIN Verification Service (NVS) which is aimed at providing enhanced data protection for the personal information of persons registered into the National Identity Database (NIDB) and issued a NIN.
“The resources for the protection of this sensitive data includes the Improved NIN Slip, USerID, MobileID, NIN hashing and the issuance of a unique virtual NIN by the ID holder to anyone who wishes to verify their identity.
“The purpose of the NIN Tokenization is to provide a coded representation (“pseudonymization”) of the actual NIN for which another party verifying the identity of the registered person cannot retain and use in a way that puts the individual’s data privacy at risk.
“Depending on the use cases, this may be via the hash contained in the Improved NIN Slip, the 2 varying hashes contained in the MobileID application, the UserID (which is available instantly to anyone issued a NIN, irrespective of whether they have a device or not), and of course, the one-time use Virtual NIN token.”
Below are the steps by Step Guide in obtaining your Digital Token
- Step 1: Download and install NIMC PERSON ID from Playstore or Apple store
- Step 2. Open the App
- Step 3. Enter your pin code or use Device fingerprint to unlock your profile(For first timer you would need to register)
- Step 4. On the Home page at the top right hand corner, Click on GET VIRTUAL NIN
- Step 5. NIN TOKENIZATION WILL BE DISPLAYED. COPY IT OUT.
- Step 6: At the bottom Of the screen in step 5 you would see a ROUND BUTTON WITH A + SIGN, tap on it to go to the VIRTUAL NIN GENERATION PAGE
- Step 7: Select either of the options listed below to generate a Virtual NIN for a requesting Enterprise.
- >>Method A: - Scan Enterprise's QR Code
- >> Scan an Enterprise's QR Code to generate a Virtual NIN, which can be used to verify your identity by that Enterprise only for a given period of time.
- >> Tap to select
- >> This will trigger your phone's camera for scanning
- >> If successful, the DIGITAL VIRTUAL NIN TOKEN WILL BE GENERATED
- >>Method B>> - Type Enterprise's ID
- This option gives you the ability to generate a Virtual NIN, which can then be used to verify your Identity by simply typing the Enterprise's 6-digit EnterpriselD.
- >> Tap to select
- >> You will be taken to the next page where you will be required to insert the enterprise 6 digit number that can be verified on NIMC Portable or database
- >> If successful, you will be greeted with your VIRTUAL NIN TOKEN
- >> IF NOT merchant with this code does not exist response will be displayed
PLEASE NOTE:
2.You can't screen record or screen shot within the app interface incase you feel like doing so. You would need another phone to snap or grab your screen display.