By Ayang Macdonald<\/p>\n
There\u2019ve been mixed reactions in Nigeria after the federal government unveiled plans to introduce a new multi-purpose national digital ID card, with some describing it as a duplicative effort and a waste of resources.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued Friday April 5, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), said the new ID card, whose launch is supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System, will have payments and social service delivery functions, and will facilitate access to other services including travel, health insurance information, microloans, agriculture, food stamps, transport, and energy subsidies, just to mention a few.<\/p>\n
The agency added that among other features, the credential, to be powered by a national ID card scheme dubbed AfriGo, will have a machine-readable zone (MRZ) in line with ICAO\u2019s standards for biometric passports, a QR code that will contain the holder\u2019s national identification number (NIN), and the possibility for face and fingerprints biometric authentication as the primary medium for identity verification through the data on the card chip.<\/p>\n
After the NIMC announcement, the institution\u2019s Technical Adviser for Media and Communications, Ayodele Babalola, later made a declaration which appeared to be different from the substance of the ID authority\u2019s April 5 statement.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Punch<\/a>, the official said three new cards will be introduced (apparently different from the announced multi-function card), and they\u2019ll comprise a bank-enabled ID, a social protection card and another \u2013 the (ENBIC) which will be used within the West African community.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t not mention when these cards will be launched, saying the decision would be sequel to a clearance by the presidency.<\/p>\n The number of new cards to be introduced notwithstanding, the announcements come as Nigeria is pursing efforts to expand coverage of the NIN \u2013 another digital ID \u2013 which has so far been issued to nearly 105 million people. The World Bank recently lauded Nigeria\u2019s NIN issuance progress<\/a> in a report. Different states in the country, including Edo and Lagos<\/a> also have biometric resident ID cards for different purposes.<\/p>\n