Nigerian university makes biometric ids compulsory

An official of Moshood Abiola University, previously known as the University of Lagos in Nigeria, disclosed on Thursday that the university has begun compulsory biometric registration of both its staff and students.

Seth Dare, Deputy Registrar in-charge of Information in Moshood Abiola University, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise began this month will end in September.

Dare added that the university’s biometric registration was to put in place to verify the number of students and staff at the university.

“We have commenced compulsory biometric data capture of staff and students toward the issuance of identity cards and for record keeping. It is to enable us to know the number of staff and students we have, and also to help us in planning for facilities that will meet up with the number in the institution,” Dare affirmed. “We have a National University Commission policy on student-staff ratio, so, this exercise is important for us to know if we are on track.’’

The Deputy Registrar said that the university’s staff and students had been instructed to fill-in online forms from the university’s online portal. Dare also said that a circular has been issued and failure to register within the given time frame, will result in Ids not be issued for bona fide staff and students.

Today, more and more schools and universities are adopting biometrics technology. Do you think providing personal data such as fingerprints and other private information for the university’s use is safe?

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil ID  |  education  |  privacy  |  secure identification