Nigerians will now pay to obtain the new multipurpose national identity card, an official of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has said.
The official, Dr. Peter Iwegbu, Head of Card Management Services at NIMC, made this known during a two-day roundtable for journalists in Lagos.
“The payment is to ensure that the card is produced for only those who need it,” he said, adding that it was to avoid past mistakes where the cards were issued for free, but many left uncollected.
“In the previous attempt to issue free National ID cards, over two million cards were produced, and many of them have not been collected till date,” he claimed.
“The government’s limited revenue is also a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card.”
Also, NIMC’s Director of Information Technology, Mr. Lanre Yusuf, said, the new ID card is a post-paid identity card.
“To get the new national ID card, Nigerians will need to make a payment, select a pickup location, and then collect their card from the chosen location,” Yusuf explained.
According to him, the multipurpose ID card will be launched soon, saying a few test cards samples have been printed.
“NIMC is working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request for the card.”
“The new national ID card is a multipurpose card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services.”
The card, powered by AfriGO, was developed in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System.
It is designed to support government intervention programmes and services across various ministries, departments, and agencies.
