National ID Card Scheme Gets Positive Reception

FOR several years there had been the quest to have a comprehensive national identity data base. But when due to the failure of past national identity card project, when NIMC’s national electronic identity card project began it was taunted be a failure, however investigation reveals otherwise writes Isaiah Erhiawarien

 Contrary to formed opinion and perception about the ongoing registration of Nigerians for the national electronic identity card (e-ID Card) scheme, that most Nigerians will be evasive of the exercise, investigations revealed that citizens are so much eager to get their biometric data capture so as to own it come 2015 when it will be issued.

The quest for a form of national identity, besides the conventional international travel passport began when General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd) as military Head of State established the Department of National Civic Registration, DNCR, through Decree 51 of 1979.

Unfortunately, on return to civil rule in 1979, the Shehu Shagari administration, stalled the implementation of the project but 20 years after Obasanjo returned as civilian president, brought the project out of national archive and began the registration Nigerians who were 18 years and above on  February 18, 2003.

The project seemed to have kicked off effectively and albeit on a sound note so that about 60 million Nigerians were registered unfortunately a very good number of them were not given the card.

Sadly again, the project suffered another defeat, this time under a civilian government of the Yar’Adua administration. The government suspended the project saying that it wants integrate several identity schemes into one effective and functional National Identity Management System (NIMs) under its social and economic reforms.

According to a working document by the presidential implementation committee on NIMS, a "reliable system of unique authenticating and verifying the identity of every Nigerian and expatriate, boost national security through efficient and reliable identity authentication, promote consumer credit and minimise fraud."

The committee, which was headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, said that there was the need for the development of an identity management system for the country.

 'When the committee began to work several issues came up, which bothers on the need to have a centralised national identity database or a system of national identity management that efficiently link the private sector identity schemes with that of the government.'

The submission of the committee was that there should be a pool of data for the nation, which can also serve the needs of other government agencies like the  National Pension Commission, PENCOM, National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, National Population Commission, NPC, Nigerian Immigration Services, NIS, DNCR and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the result will be an identification schemes and data bases for the nation that is well integrated.

It was however speculated that government will established an agency or commission to tackle the task of creating a data of all Nigerians, and the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC was given birth but the antecedents of the project almost stalled the dream of NIMC.

For instance, the scandal and sleaze over the award of the project to Sagem, a French company for N38 billion ($214) and the fact that a huge chunk of the valid 42 million could not get their identity cards made many to doubt the sincerity of government on the project.

But that perception has since dropped as investigation by the National Mirror showed that Nigerians are more eager to get registered.

When the Lagos office of NIMC was visited, scores of people including the aged and young Nigerians were on queue waiting to get captured by enrolment officials of NIMC.

 According to the Assistant General Manager, Lagos office at Alausa, Mrs. Titilola Ejiofor there are 25 centres in Lagos state where registration goes on Monday to Saturday saying that on the average on daily basis about 400 Nigerians are captured into the data base of the Commission.

She disclosed that it does not caused money to register at any of the centres adding that if a person decides to go to cyber café to do the online registration, he or she will be billed by the cyber café operator for using their facility.

She explained that government is not asking anyone to pay before their biometrics will be captured into the data base of NIMC adding that there are using their internet facility to register people but they are not government officials or staff of NIMC.

According to her, there are two methods of registration either the individual registers online and print out the registration and then go to any of the centres in Lagos or any part of the country where his biometrics will be captured.

The other method is to go to any of the centres, where a full registration that also involves online will be done for the individual by the enrolment officers before capturing the biometrics.

Explaining further, she said that at the centre, the height, fingerprint and face of the individual will be captured as well as their signature saying that there after temporary sheet that contains the individuals National Identity Number, NIN.

Ejiofor advised that for those who want to use it as a travel identity not to laminate the document saying that embassies do not accept laminated travel documents.

 Another significant reason for the massive embrace of the scheme is the development in the economy, which currently makes it leach technology, particularly the card money technology.

 For instance, the new national identity comes with a chip which makes it possible for it to be use for financial transactions.

 Already, the federal government has secured global certification for the electronic national identity card, e-ID through the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.

NIMC got the certification for its facilities, which produces the e-ID from the Global Vendors Certification Programme (GVCP) by MasterCard.
The facility that was certified is the Card Personalisation Bureau which is where the National e-ID Cards are personalised and made ready for distribution and subsequent activation.

Deputy Director, Corporate Communications, NIMC, Mr. Abdulhamid Umar said the certification followed conscious effort by the management of the NIMC, which led to the refitting, retooling and upgrading of the card printing facility that was built by government under the previous scheme in compliance with some of the requirements and standards for security and operational procedure in the plastic card industry as set by the EMV, PCI DSS globally for such High Security Areas (HSAs).