Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, has urged Nigerians to ensure they are captured under the newly introduced National Identity Card Project, as it would assist government in planning.
Awoniyi, who disclosed this when he received officials of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Abuja, who were in his office to present him with his new national identity card, stated that its importance could not be over emphasised.
He explained that having a comprehensive data of all Nigerians would not only help in curbing issues of insecurity in the country, but also assist in ensuring the nation has a well documented database of all its citizens.
Awoniyi expressed happiness that the card scheme has the capacity to capture Nigerians irrespective of where they are located, and praised the technological deployment by the commission.
The deputy governor also expressed satisfaction at the commitment shown by the NIMC personnel, who he noted were willing to deliver on the federal government’s mandate to register eligible Nigerians.
Awoniyi said he was very optimistic that with the importance of the project to the nation, other councils that were yet to embrace the registration exercise in the state would be encouraged to do so.
Earlier, Hajia Hadiza Ali Dagabana, leader of the delegation of the identity commission, said the commission was saddled with creating and managing a database of all Nigerians above 18 years of age.
She described the commission as a project of the Federal Government for identity management of its citizens and solicited the enrolment of citizens of the state in the ongoing exercise nationwide.
Dagabana called for collaboration of all Nigerians, disclosing that with the scheme’s registration number, which is usually given after registering with NIMC, it would not only serve as a means of identification but also as a means for other business transactions.
