: National Identity Management Commission:

DIRECTOR GENERAL STATE SECURITY SERVICE PLEDGED SUPPORT TO IDENTITY MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA -March 12, 2008.

The Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Chris ‘E Onyemenam solicited the cooperation of the State Security Service (SSS) in ensuring that global best practice and all security issues are well covered in the process of establishing the proposed National Identity Database in accordance with section 14 of the NIMC Act NO. 23 of 2007.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Director General of the State Security Service (DGSS) Mr. A.A Gadzama, in Abuja, Mr. Onyemenam noted that the Commission is currently working out the framework for the security protocol and appealed to the SSS to assist in ensuring that the security policy for the database meets national security objectives. He noted that the establishment of NIMC which is government’s major reform instrument in the Identity Sector, represents a paradigm shift from the historical focus on identity card issuance to national identity management for effective identity assurance processes which will ensure that theverification processes will utilize one or all of the important factors namely identity token (ID Card) the unique identification number

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(Pin number) and the Biometrics (Finger print/face).
He stressed that with the creation of the National Identity database and the related Information Technology infrastructure, various government and private sector institutions will be assured of having a secured and reliable means of authenticating the identity of persons they are dealing with.
In his remarks the DGSS who has a slot in the Commissions Board membership expressed appreciation for the visit and the level of preparation by NIMC so far. He said he was happy that at last there is a Commission dedicated solely to issues of identity management and pledged his support for the Commission while serving as its Board member.

The Director Technical Services also stated that it is a laudable project in view of the fact that a General Multipurpose Identity Device will make transactions a lot easier for Nigerians stating that identity management is a standard practice worldwide and enjoined the Commission to maintain a secure database while pledging their full support to the Commission.

He also noted that networking between NIMC and DSS will help curb fraud within and outside Nigeria thereby boosting Nigeria’s image internationally while another member of the DSS team suggested that apart from taking thumb prints, palm prints should be included for effective identification.
Responding to the issue of producing a secured Database raised by the DGSS team, Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz the Director Identity Database Department of NIMC said the commission inherited a secured database system and is in the process of forming a security policy team to solidify it with the support of stakeholders.

Corporate Communications Unit NIMC