“3 New ID Cards”: Federal Government Announces Plans for New Means of Identity

• The National Identity Management Commission has announced plans to introduce three new identity cards for millions of Nigerians
• The commission stated that these cards would feature functionalities that could replace bank debit and credit cards, essentially phasing out ATM cards
• The commission mentioned utilizing the national identity number database, which has over 104 million registered Nigerians, for the distribution of the cards.

The Nigerian government has announced plans to provide hundreds of millions of Nigerians with three new identification cards by mid-year.

The three new ID cards include a social intervention card, a bank-enabled multipurpose national ID card, and an optional ECOWAS Biometric identity card.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) told The PUNCH in an interview on Sunday that the launching of the cards has been slated for May, after which the cards would begin to be distributed.

The Technical Adviser, Media, and Communications to the Director-General of NIMC, Ayodele Babalola, added that the date may change as it is subject to the approval of the Aso Rock.

Babalola said the cards would have the feature of being able to be used for financial and social services.

He said:

“We expect the bank-enabled National ID to meet the needs of the middle and upper segments who typically use banks within the next one or two months after launch. Also, activation of the National Safety Net Card to meet the urgent needs for authentication and a secure platform for government services such as palliatives within the next one or two months. The focus will be on the 25 million vulnerable Nigerians funded by the current government intervention programmes.”

The commission had on Friday said that they were working with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System and the Central Bank of Nigeria. He revealed that the goal is to give many Nigerians multiple options for local users as it improves service delivery in a more competitive, cost-effective, and innovative way.

Babalola said the cards would be distributed to the 104 million registered applicants on the national identification number database.

He mentioned that the card would be useful during the times when palliative care needs to be distributed.

Babalola noted:

“The card will be used for all government social programmes including cash transfers, agricultural loans, student loans, health insurance schemes, micro contributions, micro pensions, etc., with a validity period of 10 years and will be issued based on the government programmes and existing social register. This will enable real access through electronic money and not cash and uplift 133 million people out of poverty.”

In summary, the cards include:

1. A social intervention card: This card will target the 25 million vulnerable Nigerians currently enrolled in government intervention programs. It will streamline authentication and provide a secure platform for delivering government services like social safety net programs.
2. A bank-enabled multipurpose national ID card: This card caters to the middle and upper segments who typically utilize banking services. It’s anticipated to be activated within one or two months of launch.
3. An optional ECOWAS Biometric identity card: This card provides additional functionality for those who require regional identification within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

CBN Deploys National Payment Card

This comes after it launched a new card that would serve the same purpose as MasterCard, Verve, Visa Cards, and the like.

The effort is made in collaboration with the Nigerian Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS).