President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked relevant stakeholders in the country to redouble their efforts in establishing complete data base of all citizens.
Buhari, who was represented at the commemoration of the 3rd National Identity Day in Abuja by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, made the call.
He lauded the stakeholders for their efforts on the National Identification Number, describing their ability to capture millions of people in less than a year as impressive.
“As long as we fail to recognise the gaps, it is difficult to fix the challenges confronting the country. The right database will guide government to plan and take critical decisions on education, health and agriculture.
“Data also will guide government to come up with effective national policies on the issue of women, children and unemployment,” Buhari said.
Speaking on the theme of the Day, ‘Identity, a tool for sustainable digital economy and national security,’ he said that NIN was a prerequisite for the success of the digital and national economy, as well as national security.
He stressed the need to deploy the national identity trust systems, not only to deliver government services in areas of social welfare, taxes, voting, health administration, security, and education but also to build an indigenous digital economy.
This, he said, would stimulate the private sector and make it thrive.
Pantami, represented on the occasion by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bitrus Nabasu, said an efficient, secure, accessible, and reliable National Identity Infrastructure would empower Nigerians to exercise their rights and responsibilities fairly and equitably for social inclusion.
He said, “Our enthusiasm to build a local digital economy, curb widespread economic and social exclusion is hinged on the necessity to assign every Nigerian and legal resident with a unique identity.
“The commission has achieved this through the scale up of Enrolment and Registration Centres across the country and in the diaspora. We have implemented novel policy initiatives that have led to tremendous increase in the registration of persons to over 63 million, counting on the National Identity Database.”
The acting Chairman, NIMC Governing Board, Bello Gwandu, said that the gathering brought together key stakeholders and drew attention to the multidimensional importance of identification in the building of an inclusive society.
“This is the third edition of the event since Mr. President approved the designation of September 16th of every year as the National Identity Day in line with his conviction of the power of digital identification as a pivotal tool in changing the socio-economic narrative of Nigeria.
“It further proves his readiness to provide necessary support to relevant agencies of government with a view to harnessing all identity infrastructure in the country toward bolstering our domestic digital economy.
“Commemorative ceremonies such as this offer ample opportunity to explicitly reinforce the fact that no country can thrive in this 21st century without a functional and reliable system of national identification,” Gwandu said.
The Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, said that the commission had learnt lessons, forged new alliances and partnerships to institutionalise a sustainable foundational ID for Nigeria.
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