Nigerian government in talks to harmonize biometric, ID databases and credentials

Nigeria’s push to issue universal legal and digital identity has resulted in a many more people who can prove who they are, but also overlap and duplication between credentials. Now, Senators are in talks with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other government bodies on the harmonization of the National Identity Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other digital ID systems in the country, Daily Trust reports.

Salisu Shuiab, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Crimes, says the harmonization of Nigeria’s digital identity system is one of several measures intended to curb corruption and reduce security problems. It could also yield benefits in the form of more efficient planning and distribution of benefits and resources.

“We are making move to harmonize our identity data base,” Shuiab says. “We have engaged the relevant ministries – the Ministry of Communication Digital Economy, the Ministry of Industry and even the CEO of the National Identity Management Commission to ensure that a Nigerian who has registered with NIMC and has a national identity number is recognized across all platforms, whether for passport purposes, driver’s license, even for the purpose of the various interventions that the federal government is doing.”

“You cannot have a digital economy without a reliable digital identity and digital identity starts with harmonizing our data base to ensure that one individual is recognized across all the systems,” he adds.

Nigeria’s Minister of the Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo suggested last October that the government will work towards harmonizing identity data and restricting biometrics to a single government database to improve the system’s cost-effectiveness and the speed of various digital transactions.

Repeated biometric enrollment for the NIN and BVN, as well as SIM registration, voter’s cards, passports and more have caused widespread frustration among Nigerians and added to program costs, without fully delivering the intended benefits.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  legal identity  |  National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  |  Nigeria