More than 10 years after the resuscitation of the National Identity Card project, the National Identity Management Commission is nowhere near accomplishing its task. Conversely, it is curiously unable to complete its assignment, which is the registration of Nigerians biometrically, issuance of smart identity cards and collation of their data centrally. Thus, out of the estimated population of 200 million, less than 40 million citizens have enrolled. This imposes a rigorous review of the project, making it more accessible and less cumbersome for the citizens.
Evidence of the NIMC’s laxity is all too obvious: inadequately equipped registration centres; few personnel; poor funding, leading to reliance on international donors, deployment of obsolete technology and corruption. As of October 2019, only 19 per cent or 37 million of Nigerians had been registered, the NIMC said. That is far short of the target, a lethargic rigmarole.
As is usual when Nigerians are applying for government documents like the passport, voter card, yellow fever card and driving licence, those who registered for their National Identity Number endured unnecessary inconvenience. With less than 2,000 units, the registration centres are too few to cope with the rush. To meet the international benchmark, the country needs a minimum of 4,000 centres, according to the NIMC. In some cases, applicants have had to wake up early, though early arrival at the registration point may not guarantee successful enrolment. In the digital age, this demands a swift change in the NIMC’s operations and perhaps, leadership.
The fiasco is worsened by the fact most of the centres lack the requisite equipment: computers, fast internet connections and electricity, to register the people. Consequently, frustrated applicants are turned back. At that point, the desperate applicants are susceptible to extortion.
Despite this, the NIN is now being considered as a precondition for educational advancement, including the registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Although the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has postponed this requirement till 2021, it is punitive in that it is a difficult process to get registered.
While the now suspended registration lasted, the media were awash with stories of how NIMC officials, in collaboration with touts, fleeced prospective UTME candidates who thronged the registration centres nationwide. Many of them travelled long distances to reach the points, only to be held back for long hours in the queues. To beat the initial UTME registration deadline, some of them allegedly paid bribes to get registered. This price is steep to pay for the youth.
There are complaints from the public that, years after registration, the ID cards have yet to be issued. This anomaly is being exploited by the military through Operation Positive Identification in the North-East. Troops attached to Operation Lafiya Dole demand the ID cards of citizens, under the guise of using it to fish out Boko Haram terrorists.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, recently indicted the troops for collecting bribes of up to N1,000 from Nigerians without the National ID card. Knowing that it is near impossible to acquire the ID card now, it is irresponsible of the government to allow its agencies to make such demands. However, in Nigeria, government takes delight in making life difficult for the vulnerable.
The NIMC’s inability to fulfil its mandate could be traced to Nigeria’s notoriety for failing to deliver on big projects. Government’s attempt to collate the data of the citizens started shortly after the Shehu Shagari government assumed office. Different companies from within and outside were contracted to undertake the registration with nothing to show for it. By some calculations, the project has gulped about N121 billion. In 2012, a French court fined Sagem SA about €500,000 for bribing Nigerian officials to secure a contract of €170 million for the printing of 70 million ID cards between 2000 and 2003.
But the project is taking too long, tainted with fraud, cumbersome and inflicts inconvenience on the masses. Yet, in itself, a national ID card project is desirable and could boost national security and economic projections. It is particularly valuable in these days of global terrorism. In Germany, where immigration is a big issue, all citizens, upon attaining the age of 16, apply for the Personalausweis (ID card), which they are mandated to carry, Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior says. This can replace passports when travelling in some countries in the European Union. Between 2009 and 2018, India registered 1 billion citizens in a centralised database.
As good as this sounds, it could also have some downsides. Experts say that an improperly secured ID card database is open to hacking; fingerprints or iris can be stolen, leading to loss of identity. In a country where the government is autocratic, it could be used against perceived opponents. In the wake of the Windrush scandal, in which immigrants were unfairly targeted, the United Kingdom scrapped its ID card project a few years back.
Nigeria should chart a new course for its ID card scheme. Already, there are too many biometric registrations in the country. To get the Bank Verification Number, voter card, driving licence, phone SIM card and passport, the biometric data of Nigerians are collected. Since fingerprints of adults do not really change, this is a waste of time and resources. Thus, the NIMC should streamline the data of all those who have registered in multiple places; these groups do not need to register anymore with it, but should be issued with their National ID cards.
NIMC should develop a more innovative, efficient and effective way to accomplish its task. The current pain to acquire the NIN and ID card is deplorable. The NIMC should decentralise its operations by increasing the registration points through reputable private organisations, local government headquarters and hospitals. It should make good on its ecosystem project aimed at building up more capacity and upgrading its technology to enable Nigerians to register from their personal computers.
