The Presidency has refuted reports that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that National ID cards be used in the forthcoming general elections of 2019.
Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, says in a statement that the allegation published by some newspapers making reference to the Vice President’s speech delivered by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Ade Ipaye at the Policy Roundtable on Identity Eco-System in the country, was misleading information.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the President has made no such order and the Vice President’s speech certainly made no mention of the 2019 elections at all.
“What the speech said was that the President has taken an initiative to harmonize identity management in the country so as to ensure that every Nigerian has a unique identifier,” Akande says.
Explaining the implication of authenticating voters through the NIN, he said the NIN is a unique identifier, and when eventually issued, it can help to confirm age and nationality status of eligible voters.
“The President was not giving any directive to INEC or any order regarding 2019. Mr. President and this administration fully respect the autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and also very determined to preserve the integrity of the electoral process at all times,” according to the statement.
He further stated that the “President charged that the national identification number (NIN) is used to authenticate eligible voters in the near future, as well as in the areas of access to health insurance, registration of SIM cards, access to social welfare, financial transactions, etc.”
Explaining the implication of authenticating voters through the NIN, he said the NIN is a unique identifier, and when eventually issued, it can help to confirm age and nationality status of eligible voters.
It will also help determine eligibility of persons presenting themselves for health, social welfare, financial and other available services in the country, Akande says.
Last month, Technology Times published a report on a proposed legislation that will make the National Identity Number (NIN) become mandatory for certain essential services within the country.
The NIN is a unique ID number generated after the collection of biometric information and verification, and is issued to all Nigerians and long term residents in the country.
The report listed some of the essential services that will require the NIN for every citizen to benefit from, which include telephony, internet, banking, hotel lodging, health services, purchase and registration of vehicles and aircraft, recruitment for temporary and permanent employments, and many others.
Under the proposed legislation underway at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria’s ID manager, it will become mandatory for all Institutions and Authority offering the affected services in Nigeria to require any person transacting with them to produce his NIN.