The inconclusive process of the National Identity Management System (NIMS) and the very slow pace of card issuance persist, even after about N121 billion is said to have been spent by the Federal Government of Nigeria on this project.
The slow process of getting the cards has created the opportunity for fraudsters to dupe unsuspecting Nigerians, eager to enrol and be granted National Identity Numbers (NIN) and Identity cards.
The identity management programme was established by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act No 23 of 2007, with the mandate to establish, own, operate, maintain and manage the National Identity Database in Nigeria, register persons covered by the Act, assign a unique National Identification Number and issue general multi-purpose cards to those registered individuals, and to harmonise and integrate existing identification databases in Nigeria, as a way of easy identification of citizens and in order to facilitate better government planning.
Jumoke Akiyode
