By PRINCE OSUAGWU

Identity management and transaction payments firm, Chams Plc and First Bank of Nigeria have entered into strategic partnership with the government of the State of Osun on the deployment of smart identity cards for enhancing salary and pension payments to civil servants and retirees in the state.

The biometric smart card will provide non-repudiable identification and authentication of civil servants and retirees in the state while also serving as credit or ATM cards, household utility pre-payment cards, among other functions.

Launching the smart identity card and the automated Osun Pensioner Verification exercise tagged, ‘I am alive’, Executive Governor of the State Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said introduction of the smart card is beneficial to both government and the workers in the state. He stated that the card would help to eliminate sources of financial waste and leakage being used by some dishonest workers to deprive government of needed funds, while also helping to block the possibility of defrauding workers of payments due to them.

“It was through the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to our tax administration and revenue collection that enabled us to increase our internally generated revenue by 100 per cent within the first few months of our administration. We have since intensified our effort to make ICT an inherent part of our public administrative system. The introduction of this new smart electronic identity card is another component of that overall effort.

“It will expectedly bring about many benefits to all of us; the individual civil servants and the government. It will be given to all workers across all ministries, departments and agencies, including local government council workers. The smart identity card is electronic, and personalised with biometric features, to each of its users. It will add immense values to the functioning of workers and will equally improve the capacity and cost of administration by government,” Aregbesola disclosed.

On his part, Ademola Aladekomo, Group Managing Director, Chams Plc said launch of a smart identity card for civil servants by the government of the State of Osun is another first in the Information and Communication Technology ecosystem in Nigeria. He noted that the smart identity is multifunctional, and is more than an identity card because it has e-payment capabilities and can be used as debit or credit card by holders across the country, and anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, the representative of the Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria PLC, Mutairu Akinfolarin, said the idea of the card was a product of good thinking. He commended the governor for successfully pioneering the card, saying the bank was very proud to be part of Osun technological success.