By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Chairman of Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu has rolled out a free National Identification Number (NIN) registration scheme as part of efforts to boost residents’ participation in the ongoing e-registration exercise for members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), reports thegazellenews.com
Thegazellenews.com also reports that the Wife of the Chairman, Alhaja Kikelomo Layeni Jimoh also stormed streets and wards in the council to mobilise members for the party’s e-registration exercise.
Speaking exclusively to thegazellenews.com crew in his office on Tuesday, 3 February, 2026, Saliu stated that he introduced the scheme to give residents easy not only to register as APC member but also to register as eligible voters to participate in the coming general elections.
To complement the efforts of her husband, Alhaja Jimoh also stormed various communities, streets and wards in the council to mobilise for the e-registration exercise.
To ensure compliance and transparency, Saliu personally toured registration centres across the LCDA, monitoring activities and ensuring the process proceeded without internal or external interference.
Speaking with thegazellenews.com during the inspection, the Apapa-Iganmu LCDA Chairman said mobilisation had been taken directly to the communities.
He revealed that his wife, working with women leaders and women groups within the party, had been moving round neighbourhoods persuading residents, particularly women, to take part in the exercise.
“You are aware that my wife and I are on the field. She has been out since morning, moving around with women leaders and women groups in the local government, encouraging them and the women around them to come out and register,” Saliu said.
To remove financial barriers, he said the LCDA decided to shoulder the cost of NIN enrolment.
“The council has provided free NIN registration. Whatever you want to do on your NIN, I will bankroll it, no matter the number of people involved,” he stated.
Explaining the challenges of mobilisation, Saliu noted that economic hardship had made many residents, especially youths, reluctant to participate.
In response, the Chairman said the council expanded outreach by engaging market leaders and deploying personnel to markets and public spaces. In addition, he disclosed that over 20 extra hands were employed to assist residents with pre-registration and documentation.
“From day one, I employed over 20 extra hands. We help people do INEC pre-registration so that when they get to the INEC table, fingerprint capture and photographs are faster,” he explained.
On logistics, Saliu said the LCDA provided critical support to keep the exercise running smoothly.
“At the centre you visited, I provided two generators one for INEC and another for the e-registration so work can continue while waiting for printouts,” he said, adding that registration teams would move to other locations within the LCDA in the coming days.
However, the Chairman urged the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen the process by deploying more machines and expanding registration centres.
“I want to appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria and INEC to please provide more machines and make the centres closer to the people. We have about 40 units, and this needs serious attention,” he said.
Ultimately, Saliu reaffirmed the LCDA’s commitment to supporting the exercise, expressing confidence that with adequate resources, INEC would deliver a credible and comprehensive voters’ register while ensuring no eligible resident is left out.
