The Federal Government has announced that it will in the next five years by providing a unique digital identification for Nigerians residing both within and in the Diaspora. Engr. Aliyu Aziz, Director-General of the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) made this known during the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Identity for Africa (ID4Africa) Movement in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He affirmed that the development is aimed to enhance governance, boost the digital economy, and reduce the level of poverty, adding that the Executive arm of the government endorsed the digital identity ecosystem project in September 2018.
In his presentation titled ‘Digital Identity the Cornerstone to Effective Service Delivery’, Aziz disclosed that the project requires all Nigerians at all age and legal residents to be covered with the digital identification within the set timeframe.
He further revealed benefits of the project which includes effective data collection and development by the government, provision of key government programmes and services like a safety net, financial inclusion, agriculture and security, among others.
More so, the digital Identification project will among others enhance the current National Identification Number (NIN) which helps in the issuance of voters card, international passport, health insurance, bank accounts, credit transactions, insurance policies and transactions with social security implications.
