CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Nigeria |
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
After 25 years of indecision, the Federal Government of Nigeria
has finally set in motion the process of implementing the National Identity Card ProjectThanks to modern Information and Technology (IT) computerised data processing, the finger-printing computer and digital camera attached to the unit for taking individual passport photographs, make the registration exercise foolproof — and it’s free!
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Tony Iredia, says: «The IT facilities are provided not only to prevent falsification of registration papers and forestall multiple registration by fraudulent individuals, but also help to reduce paper work and assist the majority of illiterate Nigerians to partake in the voting exercise».
The National Registration Project which started on 17 February was initially scheduled to end on 1 March, but was extended for another two weeks, to enable every Nigerian of 18 years and above to participate. Thereafter, the exercise will continue indefinitely in each Local Government centre. So every Nigerian will progressively have the opportunity to «sign up».
The idea of the National Identity Card Project was first muted in 1979, when General Olusegun Obasanjo was still Nigeria’s Head of State. On 1 October, the same year, he voluntarily handed over power to an elected government headed by Alhaji Usmanu Shehu Shagari. From then on, one regime after the other either pushed the Project aside outright, or paid lip service to it by using it to siphon off public funds in awarding dubious contracts (which were never implemented).
National planning
There had always been fears that the Project would be used by the more literate southerners to challenge the population figures of the north. Indeed, northerners have consistently used their «doubtful» numerical strength to lord it over the southerners. Such issues as «census» and «identification» have therefore frequently generated a great deal of controversy.
National population figures and individual identification have always been viewed with suspicion, because such figures are used in deciding where the country’s wealth should be allocated; how national resources should be distributed; and who is going to get the top jobs at a national level. Such figures have also been used when it comes to finding places for children in Federal Government Colleges, young people in the Military Academy, and students in the universities — especially when the «quota system» [also known as the «Federal Character»] is invoked. (Nigeria is a multi-ethnic society, so it is the Federal Government’s policy to ensure the geographical spread of opportunities and amenities, so that no section of the nation is left undeveloped. The policy itself is good but the actual implementation is fraught with political connotations and biases). Even in the field of sports, the «quota system» has been used to select members of the national football teams. In all cases, people think that quality has been sacrificed at the expense of professionalism and standards.
Identifying individual Nigerians correctly will no doubt help in national planning, because it will provide a near authentic figure for data and statistical analysis of major national development programs.
Who is a true Nigerian?
For once, a positive step is being taken to determine how many Nigerians 18 years and above there are, and what is their sex. The project will also help to determine who is a true Nigerian. Many other Africans frequently infiltrate into the country taking advantage of Nigeria’s porous borders. They then make themselves out to be Nigerians and get involved in all kinds of criminal activities. The Project will thus help to check the country’s crime-wave. Anybody who can’t prove where he or she comes from, is in for a hard time!
Most Nigerians welcome the Project, but all is not plain sailing in its implementation. For instance, many local farmers are being rejected by the computerised finger-printing machine. Because of their hard labour in the fields, the palms of their hands have become too hard for the equipment to recognize. But don’t worry. We Nigerians have come up with a solution. Officials from the Department of National Civic Registration (DNCR) dip the farmers’ hands in lukewarm water to soften the surface of their palms for easy recognition by the computers.
In order to complete the registration process, private entrepreneurs are providing blood testing equipment, so that individuals can get to know their blood groups — albeit for a fee. All this shows that Nigerians, young and old are enthusiastic about the Project. And it’s a «plus» for the current democratic government.