The Director-General, National Identity Management Agency (NIMC), Malam Aliyu Aziz, says the commission has enrolled more than 86 million Nigerians into the National Identity Database in 10 years.
Aziz said this at a “Lunch Time Seminar” organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) on Friday in Abuja.
Speaking via zoom, he said the commission had also issued enrollees with the National Identification Number (NIN) from 2012 to July 2022.
NIMC boss said the commission had not relented in its effort to establish National Identity Database (NIDB), register citizens and non-citizens and issue unique identifier NIN among others.
He reiterated the commission’s commitment to provide identity authentication and verification services, harmonise and integrate existing ID databases, preserve, protect, secure and safeguard the data in the NIDB.
“A nation cannot truly be a sovereign state if it does not know its people or have a unique way to identify them.
“Government’s knowledge of its people (citizens and residents) is fundamental to planning, governance, fiscal management, accountability, security, among others .
“This knowledge must begin at birth with birth registration, and extend to house numbering, street naming, and issuance of a unique identifer through a national identification system
“This knowledge also extends to knowing who, where, social and economic circumstances of the people, establishing a foundational ID is the first step to empowering people and facilitating access to basic government services.
“Civil Registration & Vital Statistics System and the National Identity Management System are the foundational IDs in Nigeria.
“Without proper identity, people are excluded from basic services that provide foundation for support.”
Aziz said that BPRS should also accelerate participation in sensitisation of key government agencies’ stakeholders on the ID project, including the harmonisation of all government databases with the national identity database for more effective and low-cost governance.
He also urged the bureau to encourage government agencies to be innovative using the NIN, and collecting and verifying data for NIN issuance and usage at various government service points, among others.
The DG of BPSR, Mr Dasuki Arabi said the essence of the lunch time seminar was to help Nigerians keep abreast with reforms in public service delivery.
Arabi said that NIMC boss was featured for the seminar so that Nigerians would appreciate the effort of the commission towards achieving a single national identifier .
He said there was strong correlation between identification and reforms, adding that both were central in realising effective delivery of important government services to the people.
“To this end, the Bureau of Public Services Reforms as part of its mandate to coordinate, monitor and evaluate reforms in order to determine the extent of achievement of reform goals of the central administrative coordinating agencies of the government as a basis for alignment and realignment.
” Broker peace between the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and NIMC in order for JAMB to adopt NIN as a prerequisite for candidates’ registration process.
“The result indicates that progress has been made, although there is need for NIMC to give more support solution to JAMB candidates.
“Our Guest Speaker will help us to appreciate the effort of NIMC towards achieving a single national identifier where existing forms of identification such as National Drivers License and International Passports would be aligned and synchronised,” he said.