Reasons Why Nigerians Will Pay for the New National ID Card – NIMC

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced that Nigerians must now pay for the new multipurpose national identity card due to the country’s constrained government revenue. Dr. Peter Iwegbu, Head of Card Management Services at NIMC, made the revelation at a two-day roundtable event for journalists in Lagos on Friday.

Iwegbu explained that the decision to charge for the cards was necessary to ensure that they are produced only for those who genuinely need them. This approach, he said, was designed to avoid the mistakes of previous attempts to distribute physical identity cards for free, which resulted in many cards going uncollected.

“Over two million cards were produced in the past when the ID cards were issued for free, but many Nigerians never collected them,” Iwegbu noted. He attributed the shift to the government’s limited revenue, which prevents it from fully funding the production of these cards.

The new payment model aims to address these issues by requiring Nigerians to pay for their cards, with the added benefit of ensuring that only those who genuinely need the cards will request them.

Mr. Lanre Yusuf, Director of Information Technology at NIMC, further explained that the previous initiative of free ID cards had not been successful. He described the new national ID card as a “post-paid identity card,” meaning individuals must have a genuine need for the card before initiating a request.

To obtain the new national ID card, Nigerians will need to make a payment, select a pickup location, and then collect their cards from that location. Yusuf assured that the government has put measures in place to ensure that less privileged Nigerians who cannot afford the payment but require the card for government support will still have access to it.

“This initiative is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to inclusivity and equality,” Yusuf said.

The new multipurpose ID cards, which are expected to launch soon, have already been tested, with sample cards received. The NIMC has also partnered with banks across Nigeria to allow citizens to request and collect their cards from any nearby bank branch, streamlining the process.

“The new national ID card will serve multiple purposes, including identity verification, payments, and access to government services,” Yusuf added. Powered by AfriGO, the card was developed in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS).