Nigerians will Start Paying for ID Card- NIMC
The commission added that the old ID card has been improved to a multipurpose national identity card.
Nigerians will start paying for ID card as the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC) published an official statement.
The commission emphasized that the old ID card has been improved to a multipurpose national identity card.
Dr. Peter Iwegbu, Head of Card Management Services of NIMC, said this at a two-day press briefing organised for journalists in Lagos State.
According to Dr. Iwegbu, “The payment was to ensure that it was produced for only those who needed it.”
“The decision was made to avoid repeating the mistake of the past efforts to issue physical cards to Nigerians for free, which many did not collect.”
It was also revealed that over two million cards were produced in a previous attempt to issue free National ID cards by the NIMC, but many of them had not been collected till date.
To avoid the same pattern from repeating itself, Nigerians will start paying for ID card, Dr. Iwugbe said.
He added that, “The government’s limited revenue is also a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card”.
The Director of Information Technology at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Lanre Yusuf, also said that previous attempts to provide free national ID cards was unproductive.
He outlined the process for acquiring the new card, stating that Nigerians will start paying for ID cards, choose a pickup location, and collect their card from the specified location.
He also revealed that the multipurpose ID cards would be launched soon, with test samples already received.
In addition, the NIMC has collaborated with financial institutions like banks, allowing Nigerians to request and pick up their cards at any bank branch.
This partnership aims to provide a fast and seamless experience for users.
“NIMC is working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request the card.
“The new national ID card is a multipurpose card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services,” he said.
