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The National
Identity Management Commission is to partner with the Nigerian Postal
Service on the distribution of the national identification number slips
and the national identity cards which are to serve as smart cards.

The
director-general of the commission, Chris Onyemenam, during a courtesy
call on the management of NIPOST, explained that under the national
identity management system being implemented, there would be provision
for the issuance of unique identification numbers for all holders. He
said this would be a simple slip with brief details of a person and
their identification number.

Genesis

The issuing of
national identification cards to Nigerians was begun in 2001 under
former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2003, large-scale fraud was
discovered in the project, leading to the arraignment of three
ministers. They were charged with corruption in connection with a $214m
contract with SAGEM, a French firm, which was supposed to implement the
project. Those accused included former internal affairs minister Sunday
Afolabi,

Mohammed Shatta, a
former minister of state in that ministry; and former labour minister
Hussain Akwanga. Mr Afolabi died before the case was concluded, and
since then, none of those charged have been prosecuted and the charges
were subsequently dropped. The project went on and was executed
haphazardly.

Smoothening the process

In a press release
by the head, corporate communication of NIMC, Anthony Onyemenam, the
commission said that the information about the identity cards, though,
could be delivered via text message or email under the new arrangement,
yet provision was being made for it to be delivered to owners who do
not have a GSM or access to internet to download it.

“We are thinking of
the rural areas also and have decided to explore the possibilities of
the NIPOST helping out using their massive outlets across the country,”
said Mr. Onyemenam. “We also believe that this can be a first step in
the planned collaboration with the NIPOST, because their branch offices
can serve as part of the network of permanent registration centers to
be operated by the partners of the NIMC under the new scheme, to
improve on turnaround time, reduce cost, be more effective and
efficient and assure sustainability of the identity management system,”
he said.

He however stated
that the logistics arrangement for the identity management system which
includes a contact centre is an important innovative step towards
customer satisfaction to help build trust and confidence in the
emerging identity sector in Nigeria.

He explained that
the commission decided to engage NIPOST being the biggest courier
service operator in the country, adding that if contracted in an
arrangement, it would deliver optimally.

Address verification

Mr. Onyemenam
observed that the experiences of the past under the National ID Card
Scheme and global developments in identity management informed the
adoption of a deliberate logistics policy for the new system.

In his response, the post-master general, Ibrahim Mori Baba,
observed that the Postal Addressing Code System had been prepared for
Nigeria by NIPOST and this would be useful for address verification,
especially when the addressing system which is now almost completed, is
ready. The new development is however a part of the process to, after
10 years, launch a fresh set of national identity cards. According to
the commission, people may be required to line up for the new bio-data
registration process. The National Identity Management Commission which
is in charge of the scheme assured Nigerians that the new cards will be
different from the ones issued between 2001 and 2006. Sources at the
commission told NEXT that the project involves the creation of a new
identity database and goes beyond merely providing citizens and legal
residents with an identity document as was done in the previous 2001
SAGEM project.