NIGERIAN government requires additional $1.3bn to actualise its digital national identity programme for all its citizens.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by Lanre Osibona, his special assistant on Information Communication and Technology, ICT, a the workshop on Strategic Roadmap for Digital Identity, Eco-system in Nigeria stated this on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, “This is over two years of relentless effort to get to where we are today. The issue and challenges to ensuring a successful national identity are many and they must be addressed collectively. However, one thing I can assure you of is that funding has never been one of those challenges.”

According to World Bank research in 2015, Nigeria spent $1.2 billion since the late 1970s but much work remains undone. “We are projected to spend an additional 3.1 billion US dollars, if we are to follow the existence approach of developing identification in Nigeria.

“The incredible benefit of this programme is at stake and we must get it right this time,’’ Osinbajo said.

He also said that the major challenge facing identity programme was the lack of a working record system and practical approaches, adding that changes had been made to the process of enrolling on the digital national identity to ease the procedure, which included reduction of identity attributes from 75 to 10.

Osinbajo emphasised on the gains of the digital identity number, stating that the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, would easily enforce traffic offences through unified identity system.

– Jan.  31, 2018 @ 17:36 GMT