: National Identity Management Commission:

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF PROMISE MAXIMUM SUPPORT TO NIMC -March 7, 2008

The Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Chris ‘E Onyemenam in a courtesy call to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and his principal staff officers at the Defence Headquarters Abuja disclosed while presenting the NIMC Act to Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi that plans are in top gear for the establishment of a national identity database in accordance with section 14 of the NIMC Act NO. 23 of 2007.

Mr. Onyemenam noted that the Commission is currently verifying the database from the registration exercise carried out in 2003 by the defunct Department of National Civic Registration (DNCR) with a view to incorporating it into the proposed National Identity Database. 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.According to him, by Sections 5 and 14 of the Act, the NIMC is responsible for creating, managing, and operating the National Identity Database including the harmonization and integration of existing identification databases in government agencies.

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The NIMC boss solicited the support of the office of CDS for the Commission in achieving its set target stating that the present effort is focused primarily on identity database management which will eliminate duplication of efforts and help optimize use of available resources while curbing identity- related fraud and vices.

He stressed that with the creation of the National Identity database and the related National Identity Management infrastructure, various government and private sector institutions will be assured of having a secure and reliable means of verifying and authenticating the identity of persons they are dealing with. The era when citizens were repeatedly required to give the same personal information to different agencies of government or various private sector institutions would soon be over. Particularly Banks would very soon stop bordering so much about utility bills and tenancy agreement in an effort to know their customers.
The DG/CEO of NIMC noted that the CDS is a member of the Board of the Commission and enjoined the CDS to be actively involved in the deliberations of the Board when it is eventually constituted.

The Chief of Defence Staff in his remarks thanked NIMC DG and his team and promised that a senior member of his team would represent him in all NIMC activities while pledging his unflinching support for the Commission.

Corporate Communications Unit, NIMC