By Boston Edogi

The current National ID scheme may not be the best for Nigerians and residents, instead, the country’s 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, should be granted statutory provisions and privileges in the Constitution to issue their own independent state Identity Cards to residents within their States through their states managed motor vehicle departments in each State capital city and local government headquarters.

This kind of service will help to improve proper data and record-keeping of state’s residents and this process should be linked to local, state, and national data files that will also help to guard against duplications of enrolled identities of individuals including guidance against identity thefts.

Basically it is to curb growing insecurity across the country as this data including fingerprints would be linked with security agencies for proper identification and fishing out those who are into criminality.

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Also, the state-issued ID cards will serve as an added identification card to any other form(s) of identification card(s) that a bearer already has.

The possession of a state-issued Id card will be an acceptable alternative for people that have no national passport to present as a primary identification when requested by banks, airlines, hotels, hospitals, courts, law enforcement agencies, schools, potential employers, and other related businesses.

In today’s day and age, many countries globally have data control/record-keeping systems that track day-to-day activities of their citizens all year round and record of lifelong activities that take place within and outside their operational functions including the world’s counterparts.

This tracking system helps countries to be abreast of what is happening within their borders or has occurred in the past and to plan affairs accordingly while addressing global issues with countries that they collaborate with on several matters.

For instance, these countries were able to disburse these payments because of the availability of adequate citizen’s profile record-keeping system.

Unfortunately, most countries in Africa including Nigeria cannot be proud to say that they have any form of tracking system to adequately account for their population from young to old and this has been a major setback to development, peace, unity, and progress.

Due to these lapses, Nigeria has been over the years a fertile ground corruption and fraud had thrived unabatedly and has made it difficult to also track down criminal elements that get away with their dastardly acts.

The government at the centre including the National Assembly should begin as a matter of urgency to collaborate and ensure that issuance of Identity Cards is decentralized to the state and local government levels, which has been done in the issuance of Identification Letter by the Local Government Councils and State Liaison Offices in Lagos and Abuja.

An amendment should be done in the Act establishing the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in order for States and Local Government Councils can start doing the issuance especially now that criminality is thriving in the country.

The amendment should make it mandatory for residents of all local government areas to register their family members with appropriate data as contained in the amended Act, and also regular registration should go on according to the specified age that qualifies a Nigerian child in his or her state, and that would also be used for various purposes including to obtain a voter card.

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Furthermore, this sort of national brief profile will help to enhance the tracking of population, deaths, employment, benefits/entitlements at the appropriate time including inter-country border control so that citizens from neighbouring countries will not infiltrate illegally into Nigeria to cause trouble including disrupting our population exercise and elections and then escape to their respective countries without being apprehended.

It is now imperative to have this issuance done at the local and state government levels because it will add value to the image of Nigeria in the comity of nations as she will be seen as a serious country that has authentic and reliable data of her citizens, hence will attract investors and development partners to our country.

In addition to the above, the Federal Government of Nigeria should include the issuance of a National Welfare Card (NWC) which will be an equivalent of Social Security Card issued by the Federal Social Security Administration Department of the United States to Nigerian including newborn babies through the time of retirement, which also assists citizens when they become disabled due to circumstances beyond their control.

The proposed NWC will also meet pension requirements or become temporary unemployed (displaced worker), and will also serve as a means of empowerment when they are ready to engage in meaningful activities for their survival and sustenance.

It will be a springboard for national development, mutual co-existence, and peace in the polity across the country if there is an amendment of the NIMC Act and also an Act for National Welfare Card (NWC) that would be domiciled at the state level if the Government will take this serious and start the process for the actualization and implementation of these new pillars of development a lot of gains will follow and flow into the country in a short time.

In conclusion, the implementation of states issued Identification Card and Federal National welfare Card will help States in Nigeria and the Federal Government to maintain adequate identification and profile-based tracking system of its citizens and residents with minimal issues or loopholes.

Therefore, it is important government look into the challenges Nigerians face to get their National Identity Cards and the unnecessary delays occasioned by avoidable administrative bottlenecks that have impeded the process, and as a result, many Nigerians don’t have access to National ID, and some unscrupulous elements have taken advantage of the flaw in the process to unleash their terror and horror on innocent Nigerians.

Also, our development as a nation is always hindered because we don’t know exactly how many we are as Nigerians, which had over the years made us depend on United Nations population statistics, population figure issued by World Bank, and other international organizations, because we lack reliable data and figure of ourselves including all sectors of our economy have the same problem that makes it difficult for investors to come into the country, rather what we have is scanty and unreliable, which does not speak well of us as ‘Giant of Africa’ in the 21st Century.

Boston Edogi, Ph.D., Organizational Leadership Consultant/Public Opinion Contributor wrote in from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Vanguard