The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, February 7, directed its committees on population and anti-corruption to investigate the prolonged delay in the release of National Identity Cards spanning from 2012 to the present.
The committees have been tasked with summoning the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, along with the Director-General of the National Identity Card Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, to shed light on the matter.
Within a four-week timeframe, the Committees are expected to furnish the House with their findings for further legislative action.
This decision came about following the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Investigate the National Identity Cards Released from 2012 to Date,” presented by Hon. Muhammed Dan Abba Shehu.
The House emphasized that the National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC), mandated by law, is entrusted with collecting, managing, and controlling citizen data for effective economic planning and developmental growth. However, the current state of affairs in Nigeria suggests otherwise.
In 2015, the National Identity Management Commission and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) entered into an agreement to promptly implement the Presidential directive on harmonization and integration of Biometric Data capture by government agencies. This directive aimed to enhance biometric data collection and storage across government entities, collaborating with NIMC and INEC to facilitate efficient voter registration and improved identity management.
The House further observed that despite concerted efforts to utilize the National Identity Card for voter registration ahead of the 2015 general elections, the anticipated outcomes were not achieved, leading to heightened expectations among citizens and the government.
Expressing concern, the House underscored the perseverance of Nigerians in assisting the government in obtaining accurate database information through the National Identity Card Management Commission.
However, operational inefficiencies at the Commission’s headquarters and its state counterparts have impeded the timely release of National identity cards, attributing to governmental neglect of operational activities and directives meant to benefit all Nigerians.
Despite allocations in the Commission’s annual budgets from 2017 to 2019, aimed at fulfilling its mandate, efforts to produce and distribute national identity cards have fallen short, necessitating urgent government intervention.
The motion emphasizes the imperative of government intervention in restructuring the Commission to enhance service delivery, revitalize operational efficiency, and re-establish the goal of providing accurate data and identification documents to citizens, thereby restoring the confidence of the Nigerian populace.
“The House is worried that the Commission received annual budgetary allocations in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to fulfill its mandate, but efforts to produce and release national identity cards have been unsuccessful requiring urgent intervention and attention of the Federal government.
“The House is cognizant that government intervention in restructuring the Commission is necessary for effective service delivery, revitalizing the Commission’s operations and re-affirming the goal to provide accurate data and identification documents to the citizens thus restoring the confidence of the Nigerian populace,” the motion read
