Nigeria: NIMC’s Funding Dilemma
Published: 7/Feb/2021
Source: This Day (Abuja)
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has reached a critical level of its operation where external funding is inevitable, but it appears the federal government is either unwilling to fund NIMC’s operation or does not understand the importance of national identity system, writes Emma Okonji
Recent statement by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, through his official twitter handle, @DrisaPantami, is a clear indication that the federal government is not interested in funding NIMC at a time that the commission needed funding the most.
According to the minister, “My strategic mission for NIMC is to ensure the commission is self-reliant and generates the money it needs for smooth operation without having to depend on the federal government for budgetary allocation.”
The statement has rather divided many stakeholders who are asking questions about the possibility of NIMC to be self-reliant. How?, they asked, while wondering if the minister wants NIMC to introduce operational charges for its services or commercialise its only product, which is the critical national identity data.
Read further: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/02/07/nimcs-funding-dilemma/