ID card: Nigerians to have special identification numbers

THE Director-General of the NationalIdentity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Chris Onyemenam, on Sunday, said the new national identity scheme being planned by the Federal Government will ensure that a special personal identification numbers (PIN) are generated for all Nigerians, to ensure security of lives and enhance business.Onyemenam, who spoke in Abuja, said the new scheme, which will operate through the smart card technology, would ensure that identity of any Nigerian was confirmed at the fingertips when completed.He also disclosed that one of the benefits the country would derive from the project was that the registration would not be repeated, as once a person was captured, the data remained for life.According to him, the slogan of the new scheme is 'enrol once and be identified for life.'He added that a number of misrepresentations had been identified in the responses of many Nigerians to the planned project, adding that such outcry were as a result of the past experiences.According to him, what the government planned to do this time was different from the previous exercises, as it involved a chip-based smart card, which would contain personal features of the individual, with the PIN linked to the database.According to him, it was through the databse that the commission would achieve harmonisation of all other databases, in a way that would ensure cost effectiveness for the government.He said even if other government's agencies had to collect data, it would be at a significantly reduced cost.
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