FG Urged to Create National Residents Registration Agency

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Proximaforte Ltd, Ayotunde Bally, has called on the Federal Government to establish a National Residents Registration Agency (NRRA), saying Nigeria requires a comprehensive residency database to strengthen security, improve housing management and support national planning.

According to a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, Bally made the proposal in response to renewed public debate over the responsibilities of landlords in verifying the identities of tenants.

According to him, while landlords should carry out reasonable background checks before renting out their properties, the absence of a nationwide system for tracking residency and internal migration remains a major challenge.

He noted that existing identity platforms such as the National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), voter registration, passports and driver’s licences only establish individual identities but do not capture where people currently live, where they have previously resided, where they work or how frequently they relocate.

Bally explained that the proposed National Residents Registration Agency would complement, rather than replace, existing identity systems by creating a dynamic residency database linked to the NIN.

Under the framework, he said, every resident would receive an NRRA number connected to their NIN, while landlords would register tenants, employers would update employment records and residents would be required to notify the agency whenever they change addresses.

According to him, such a system would provide government with reliable information on population distribution and migration patterns, enabling more effective planning for housing, healthcare, education, transportation and social intervention programmes.

Bally also argued that the initiative would enhance national security by making it more difficult for criminals to move anonymously between communities.

He said the proposed system would also assist landlords by enabling them to verify prospective tenants’ residency history, previous addresses and employment status before letting properties.

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The Proximaforte chief further advocated mandatory nationwide tenancy registration, with all tenancy agreements digitally linked to tenants’ NRRA numbers to improve accountability and protect landlords, tenants and host communities.

Beyond security and housing, Bally said the proposed agency could strengthen Nigeria’s credit ecosystem by allowing verified tenancy and rent payment records to form part of individuals’ credit profiles.

According to him, this would improve lenders’ ability to assess borrowers, expand financial inclusion and increase access to affordable credit for responsible Nigerians.

He, however, stressed that any residency database must be implemented with strong safeguards for privacy.

“The objective of the proposed agency would be accountability rather than surveillance,” he said, adding that access to residents’ information should be restricted to authorised purposes.

Bally maintained that many landlords currently lack adequate tools to properly verify tenants beyond collecting rent and argued that government should establish the institutional framework needed for effective verification instead of placing the burden solely on property owners.

He added that Nigeria would continue to face challenges in security, housing administration, economic planning and public service delivery until it develops a system capable of accurately tracking where residents live, work and relocate, describing the proposed National Residents Registration Agency as “a critical missing component of the country’s identity, security and development architecture.”