By Emma Elebeke

Director-General and Chief Executive of the National Identification Management Commission, NIMC, Barrister Chris Onyemenam had reiterated the determination of the commission to introduce a new national identification number, NIN in place of the existing one.

Onyemenam said this as keynote speaker on the topic ”National Identification Management System: A social infrastructure for good governance and promotion of national image” at RIMAW 2011 workshop & exhibition organized by RIMA Foundation in Lagos.

The NIMC boss said the issuance of the proposed new national identification number to every Nigerian citizen will help launder Nigerian image hitherto battered by the activities of the insignificant number of fraudsters, which has been devastating to the country.

According to him, the Federal Government in its wisdom had decided to take on the project in collaboration with the private sector, so that when implemented, it will help halt the loss of about N71 billion Nigeria loses annually to ghost workers and entrench the principles of good governance with the application of global best practices.

When completed, he explained that the database will be useful to all other agencies of the government that may want to make reference to national identification data bank, adding that it would equally help the government narrow down lots of loop holes currently militating against good governance in Nigeria.

The new NIN according to him, will be embedded with a chip in it, among other unique features that will make it technologically driven, unlike the existing card that is not technology compliant.

The project which he said is planned to end by 2013, is expected to take off with the pilot soon, and is targeted at all from the ages 16 and above, while arrangement by the commission is already in place with the national data management scheme and World Bank to include other people at birth and death.

Though, Onyemenam admitted the possibility of abuses when the process eventually commences, he said that measures had been fashioned out to check such tendencies with special codes and access numbers which will accompany the NINs. Other benefits of the NIN according to him include, provision of millions of job opportunities, increase in GDP, integration of all government institutions, easy access to credit even as he said that it will create room for amendments and corrections.

Earlier in his welcome address, the President, RIMA Foundation, Mr. Oyedokun Oyewole said that the programme was their own way of promoting infrastructure development in Nigeria and Africa.

“We observe that most public and private organizations lack proper documentation culture, which has hampered information dissemination, but with proposed, NIMS by NIMC, today’s records will be our tomorrow’s archives, which will facilitate effective documentation and proper record keeping.