NATIONAL ID CARD IN NIGERIA: WILL IT EVER BE POSSIBLE?

According to a recent figure released by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in November, 2012, over 100 million out of the total population of the country do not own national identity card. The Director of Information Technology of the commission, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, who disclosed this at a Stakeholders’ Forum organized to sensitize the public on the operations of the Commission in Makurdi, further revealed that out of the few Nigerians that own the national ID card, 75% of the cards are fake.

Identity or identification is a proof of something or somebody is what he/she/it claims to be. This could take the form of a card or document. Identity card is therefore, a small piece pocket size card holding information sufficient enough to prove that a claim or description of somebody or something bearing it is accurate. It is usually an official document issued by government or organizations that identifies the bearer with a country or organization. It is also sometimes used to grant somebody access to something.

National Identity Card is sometimes used interchangeable with National Passport. However, National Identity Card is a piece of card or document issued by government of a country to a citizen that identifies the bearer as a citizen or national of the issuing country, and is entitled to privileges that international foreign policies warrant. While passport is both used as identification, protection as well as securing access to travel beyond the borders of a person’s country.

Historically, the origin of official national identity card could be traced back to the summer of 1939, just before the commencement of World War II, preparations were concluded in England to compile a national register in case of war, so that every person including children, would be given an identity card, as United Kingdom citizens. Shortly after that, many western countries followed suit in realization of the importance of the national register/database or national identity card as the war became more and more imminent. Here in Africa, however, one of the few countries that began to adopted the use of a national identity card was Mauritania, when a decree in March 1969 made national identity cards obligatory. Today, most of the western and developed world consider national identity card a necessity and compulsory. Many other African nations have also taken it very seriously.

In Nigeria, attempts to compile a national register or database that will avail all citizens of the country a national identity card like their counterparts around the world have exceeded 35 years, but all could be conveniently said to have ended in a woeful failure. Between late 1970s to date, hundreds of billions of dollar have been sunk by successive governments for the exercise, but despite that colossal amount of money in the span of over 35 years, today only a meager segment of the population own the national ID card, and as revealed by the NIMC, 75% of the cards are counterfeit.

Other constraints facing the commission includes sabotage and manipulation of the database or exercise by some unpatriotic elements in the society for the purpose of politics of population, because having a comprehensive, credible and reliable national database plays a significant role in determining national affairs, such as leverage of power, influencing public policies, revenue allocation, state creation, representation, and in terms of election. In realization of the significant role compiling a comprehensive national database plays in influencing the aforementioned national activities, one can conveniently say that some people with sinister political, economic or social agendas regularly frustrate the successful compilation of a comprehensive national database and the national identity card exercise. To further buttress this point, a probe conducted by the House of Representatives Committee on Internal Affairs, under the Chairmanship of Hon Ehogie in 2004, discovered a 204 million dollars fraud surrounding the national identity card exercise, implicating the former Internal Affairs Minister, Chief Sunday Afolabi and others.

Following the realization of the flagrant corruption that bedeviled the process, the Federal Government enacted the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act in 2007, which provided for the establishment of a National database and the National Identity Management Commission under the Internal Affairs Ministry, charged with the responsibilities for maintenance of the National Database, registration individuals and the issuance of general multi-purpose identity cards and other related matters.

One major important mandate of the commission was providing the citizens through the ID card a National Identification Number (NIM), which is continually becoming a requirement in applying for and issuance of passport, operating a bank account, purchase of insurance policy, registration of voters, payment of services, vehicle registration, etc. It also captures biometric data which is an automatic method for identifying a person on the basis of some biological or behavioural characteristic of the person such as fingerprints, behavioural characteristics, and voice patterns, which are distinctive to each person.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) operates in collaboration and shares information with some government institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), National Populations Commission (NPC), National Pensions Commission (NPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), State Security Service (SSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other strategic agencies that would require a comprehensive national database for the purpose of planning, budgeting, and for security and investigative reasons.

Compiling a national database and issuance of of national ID card to citizens has so many advantages. It helps in gathering demographic and statistical data on the citizen that the government can use in making informed decisions in planning, budgeting and formulating sound policies and programmes that will benefit the citizens. It is important in tracking criminality and fraudulent activities. It can also be used too check the inflow of people from neighboring countries posing as Nigerians, as well as regulate Nigerians within and outside the country and protect the nation’s integrity abroad, by addressing the problem of imposters who commit crimes and claim to be Nigerian citizens. In addition, compiling an automated national database and issuance of National ID cards together with the National Identity Number (NMI) to citizens could help in checking economic and cyber crimes, just like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards that have fool-proof mechanisms.

Other advantages of the scheme include assisting in checking insecurity by ensuring authenticity of citizens and in tracking criminals. It would also help in address the problem of overtaking scarce appointments and jobs by expatriates, when Nigerians need such opportunities and could even perform better among other advantages.

The Director of Information Technology of the NIMC, while had recently assured Nigerians that the commission has concluded arrangements to begin a new registration that would capture over 150 million Nigerians within the space of 40 months, adding that the new smart card would enable bearers to transact electronic payments, access ECOWAS countries without the regular use of travel documents among other things.. So let us hope and pray that the commission has learnt from the mistakes of the past and that this time around the exercise would not fail like other previous attempts. Similarly, the citizens should endeavour to corporate fully and participate actively with the commission when the new exercise begins for the overall success of the scheme.