Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economic, Dr Isa Ali Pantami has said that, following the Federal Government’s approval to transfer the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to his Ministry, they will immediately start the digital Identity journey by capturing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) first.
The Minister made this known in a press statement on Tuesday signed by his Spokesperson, Mrs Uwa Suleiman, to mark the Federal Government’s approval of 16th of September as Nigeria’s National Identity Day.
He said that this year’s National Identity Day will have the theme: “Identity for Health, Sustainable Development and Growth.” He further stressed that the Ministry is developing the right policy environment to support enrollments for Digital Identity across the country.
Pantami urging Nigerians to esteem highly the importance of Digital Identity said: “We will start by capturing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and will also support the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other stakeholders to ensure that we make the process of obtaining Digital IDs swift and secure.
“One of the key objectives of Pillar #6 (Soft Infrastructure) of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) is support for the accelerated implementation of a Digital Identity Programme. The importance of a digital identity programme to the successful development of a digital economy cannot be overstated. Digital Identity plays a critical part in the development of a digital economy is also called the fabric of the digital economy.
“The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa rightly noted that “Digital Identity and the digital economy are not only linked, but are also, reinforcing, as digital ID is the basis for digital economy platforms. Digital identification can be an important catalyst for various development initiatives in the continent, impacting on trade, governance, social protection, financial inclusion, domestic resource mobilization, as well as security and human rights.”
16th of September is also World International Identity Day and Nigeria has adopted it as its National Identity Day. The statement urged Nigerians to support the development of the digital economy by embracing the use of digital identity. He further encouraged Nigerians to visit NIMC accredited centres soon for their Digital ID.
