In a bid to drive financial inclusion and improve Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said it will roll out an improved multi-purpose biometric identity card soon.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this at a media briefing on improved NIN cards in Abuja at the weekend, said the move is in collaboration with the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS).
The briefing was attended by the Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Interbank Settlement System, Premier Oiwoh; the Managing Director/CEO of AfriGO, Ebehije Momoh and the Managing Director of Data Mining Company, Femi Akande.
Coker-Odusote said the new card programme aims to address multiple use cases of federal government and private sector interventions and also targeted at addressing social and economic issues in the country, with the payment functionalities and identity as a foundation.
She said: “The key features of this card, are the biometric, based on the fingerprint, which is the only one that is currently unique; the card has a long validity period because it’s also fully KYC enabled; it has an offline and online capability, which means in locations where there are limited access to internet, this card will still work and be used for those services that it’s designed to achieve.
“And you can meet out cash, digital tokens, wallet, and email and it also has some banking details inside the chip that enables the holder to perform every other thing that can be done with ENV-enabled card.
“On the back, the card provides additional functionalities which enable Nigerians and those who are going to have access to it to be able to prove their identity at any point in time they are called to do that.”
The NIMC CEO further explained that the new multi-tasking card also facilitates the inclusion of citizens in the social and economic activities in the country.
She noted that the second programme of the card called the Government of People card, G2P, addresses the current need for government and its agencies, and even private sectors, to be able to identify people who are providing such services in a very secure and verifiable manner.
This is expected to take care of challenges in terms of identifying the people who participate in government intervention programmes.
On the cost of issuance, she assured that the card would be made available to Nigerians at affordable cost, adding that the newly designed biometric card is designed to uplift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty and provide seamless services.
Speaking on the collaboration with NIBSS, Oiwoh said: “You know, as NIBSS, we have the interoperability arrangement, we have a lot of financial data in terms of payment, and so where we come in here is, since AfriGo is owned by NIBSS 100%, on behalf of all the commercial banks and the Central Bank, we felt it was necessary that as a Nigerian company that has been there for over 32 years, now betting a card payment rail that would work proudly with NIBSS to provide those rails through Afrigo and other payment schemes. For instance, the NQR, which is on the card, is also riding on the NIBSS rail.
“With your fingerprints, you can authenticate transactions, but also, if you don’t remember your account number, just present the card, and then you can scan the QR code, and the account number, and you can do whatever you want to do, by just talking to whoever has scanned your card, and then you can also authenticate that.
“So, those are the areas that NIBSS advises in terms of payment detail and guides to ensure that things are, I mean, Nigerians derive the full benefit and are excited, and I’m very proud as a Nigerian to see this day and to see things happening.”
Providing an overview of the project, the Director of Card Management team, Dr Peter Iwegbu, said in terms of benefit to the citizens, the card will provide instant evidential identification; it’s a 3-in-1 card, access to government services, self-identification of yourself, and access to financial transactions.
The card also provides the opportunity to track people, identify them and verify them without having to wait for any electronic devices.
On the rollout plan, the MD of Afrigo, Ebehijie Momoh, described the improved ID as phenomenal, coming to revolutionise the Nigerian identity system.
