Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the delay in issuance of their national identity card by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Some of the residents, who spoke with the Newsmen on Friday in Abuja, said they enrolled since 2013, while others noted they enrolled in 2014.

Mrs Hannah Okon, a civil servant told journalists that the delay in the issuance of cards was unacceptable.

“I registered in May 2013, and I can remember that in 2014 the commission told a number of us in their office that our cards were delayed because they wanted to launch a new national e-identity card.

“They told us that the delay was caused so that we would be able to distinguish and understand the cards.

“It is painful because we were told that we would appreciate the difference between the National Identification Number (NIN), and the National ID cards and its over four years of endless waiting,’’ she said.

Okon said that she no longer have use for the card and she could be identified without a national identity card, and more so without a NIN.

She also alleged that no one in the commission had said anything meaningful.

From left: Managing Director, Interswitch Limited, Mr. Mitchell Elegbe; Chairman, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Prince Uche Secondus; and MD/CEO, Chams Plc, Mr. Demola Aladekomo, at the signing of the concession agreement between NIMC and the front-end partners concesssionaires - Chams Consortium and Iris One Securecard Consortium 

Another civil servant, Mr Matthew Ekanem, stated that the National ID card was no longer a person’s identity in the strict sense of the Universal Identification Infrastructure.

Ekanew said the National ID cards which he was told would carry a NIN and would also provide Nigerians with security, convenience and reliability of electronic payments were “all fraud and sweet talks’’.

“The long wait for me is over, not getting my identity card from NIMC underscores that the commission has a failed system and that I have come to accept.

I am not the only one that has not collected. I am aware of a lot of people who also registered in 2013 like myself, and have also not collected.

I think the problem is with most of us who registered in 2013, with the huge funds allocated in the budgets year after year.

It is a serious systemic shame,’’ he said.

Roland Okafor, a pharmacist at the Wuse General Hospital, attributed the delay to corrupt leaders at the helm of the commission.

“EFCC should go after the old management in that organisation.

Most especially, the ones that established the commission, because they have been mismanaging the finances so that I should not be identified as a Nigerian.

Those were the people that sabotaged past administrations and their efforts, because I am aware of the huge investments, a lot of funds were pumped into the project, I read about it in the dailies.

I registered since 2013, my wife registered by chance and got hers after three months in 2016. I believed I don’t have a card and I was told that I can’t be captured twice.

I have lost hope, my identity card is one of those houses in Maitama and Asokoro,’’ Okafor said.

Mr Lawrence Njaka, a retiree said he was tired of going to NIMC’s office without any valid response to the where about of his card.

“I have been to that office more than nine times and one of its official I spoke to, told me that the office was facing some challenges.’’

Njaka said what he couldn’t ask the official was what the challenges were, because the fellow wasn’t ready to speak with him, this was in 2015.

I am tired, I am over 60 years. When I go for Western Union Money transfer, those bankers would keep asking for my national identity card,’’ he added.

According to Mrs Patience Ameh, it is because I am not a Very Important Personality (VIP) or politician, hence the delay in the issuance of my card.

Ameh said her colleagues and herself enrolled in March, 2013, adding that they had been visiting the commission till date to collect their cards bt to no avail.

“It is when someone is famous, wealthy or a politician that he or she or will be able to get their cards, a common Nigerian like me doesn’t have hope.

Why can’t this NIMC people tell Nigerians the truth so that we would no longer waste our time and money going for what is not available?

They know what they are doing, that’s the more reason why they have those securities by their gate and none of them had said anything meaningful.

In my own opinion, a more serious and competent management should take over for things to go well for Nigerians, the cards have taken too much time than required.

All the people I know, including my family, extended family, friends and colleagues none of us have the identity cards, we don’t even know what it looks like,’’ she said.

NAN reports that the Director-General of the Commission, Engr Aliyu Aziz, had said the commission enrolled more than 11 million unique data of Nigerians into the National Identity Database.

“So far, we have enrolled more than 11 million unique data into the National Identity Database.

We have also printed about one million National e-ID Cards, and have issued over 400,000 of these cards to the owners.

Most of the unissued cards are lying in the NIMC State Offices, the owners are yet to come and collect them,” Aziz said.