By Gabriel Enogholase

BENIN—THE Federal Government will soon commence a new process of National Identity Card registration throughout the country, the Director-General of the National Identity Card Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, has said in Benin, Edo State, weekend.

Onyemenam who was in Benin to commission the Edo State office of the Commission’s ICT centre, said holders of the current identity card need not fear as the Commission will re-validate their cards.

He said the new process is expected to begin in the next six months, adding that under the new system, fresh identity cards would be issued to Nigerians along with the ones currently in circulation.

On the revalidation of the current identity cards in circulation, the Director –General said the holders would go through some kind of re-registration, especially in the area of  finger print.

“A re-validation process will take place during the exercise and you remember, during the first exercise in 2003, six finger prints of people were taken but under the new system, ten finger prints would be obtained from people.”

“However, during the transition period, the cards currently in circulation remains valid and useful although we no longer re-issue them. New identity card will be issued henceforth,” he said

Mr. Onyemenam disclosed that a data base would be put in place before the new process of issuing new identity cards commences, adding that the data base would be updated from time to time.

He explained that the ICT facilities were being installed in the states of the federation by Galaxy Backbone Plc, an ICT based agency of the Federal Government so as to give the National Identity Management Commission a wider coverage.