By Amaka Agwuegbo
The Federal Government, last weekend, signed a concession agreement with two consortia – Iris One Securecard and Cham – three years after the consortia were selected through a rigorous bidding process.

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 in Abuja weekend

Part of the agreement signed between Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the agency responsible for managing the country’s identity system, and the two consortia, each made up of three different companies (Iris Smart Tech, Interswitch and Secure ID formed Iris One Securecard while Chams, Nextzon and Supercard made up Chams) included the provisioning of data capture and related services as part of the front-end operations of the national identity management system of the country.

At the agreement signing ceremony in Abuja, NIMC board chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said the development marked the beginning of a process to deliver a national identity database of 100 million enrollment over the next 30 months from the date registration commences at the proposed model registration centre to be established across the country by the concessionaires.

“This giant step is a necessary commitment that signifies government’s resolve to partner with the private sector to deliver important social infrastructure that would enable government to deliver on its responsibilities such as security of life and property, access to consumer credit and a host of other services that would touch the lives of the poor amongst us and improve our image as a nation.”

Secondus, however, warned that the task ahead is challenging as it consists of sourcing the funds, financing the roll-out plan, instituting the necessary security controls and protocols and the need for technology transfer. He hoped the private sector have thought through the process to avoid delays.

He also explained that in putting the agreement together, NIMC has learnt from the mistakes of the past and worked on the sustainability of the project.

Speaking on behalf of Iris Securecard Consortium, Mr. Mitchell Elegbe, Managing Director of Interswitch, commended the Federal Government for the opportunity given to the private sector to deliver a project of this magnitude.

He acknowledged that the task ahead is huge while pledging that the consortia would not mismanage the aspiration of Nigerians to be properly identified as a member of Nigeria community.

“We will make sure that the project is not only delivered very well but also delivered on time”, he said.

Mr. Demola Aladekomo, MD/CEO Chams, who spoke on behalf of Chams Consortium, noted that the concession agreement was not a typical contract where government paid money to the contractors, adding that a lot depends on the ability and capability of the concessionaires.

According to Aladekomo the concessionaire would require enough support from government in order to deliver the project. While stating that the consortia could not afford to fail the country, he emphasized that the country needs to identify its citizens, not to do so would be ‘calamitous’ for a nation of 150 million people that cannot identify its people appropriately.