Nigerians to get new ID cards

(CP-Africa) – Nigeria is set to launch a new set of National I.D. cards as early as January 2011, NEXT recently reported.  According to the Nigerian National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC), the new I.D. cards will be different from those issued in 2001 and 2006. “The National Identity Management System is a quantum leap from the SAGEM project which was initiated in 2001 to provide an integrated card production facility” the commission added. The SAGEM project which was widely reported to be marred by allegations corruption and mismanagement was handed over to the NIMC in November this year.

“The 2001 technology did not offer a unique identification number or a secure platform to assert one’s identity without a card. SAGEM produced cards, but not an identity system. This database is one of the three components of the emerging national identity management system, the other two being a secure identity document and a system for authenticating and verifying identity,” an NIMC official said.

According to the NIMC’s official spokesperson, Anthony Okwujafor,“the new ID card will have a unique number for every person and would be usable anywhere in the world.”

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