FG to merge BVN, driver’s licence, National Identity card

 

The Federal Government has announced its decision to stop what it called proliferation and duplication of biometric-based identity systems in the country.

Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mrs Habiba Lawal, stated this in Abuja while inaugurating  a former governor of Osun State,  Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  alongside eight others as chairman and members, respectively of the  Governing Board of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC).

Lawal noted that the Federal Government established the  NIMC as the primary institution charged with the responsibility of providing and regulating identity management in Nigeria, the issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN) and ID card to all registrable persons as well as the harmonisation and integration of existing identification databases in government agencies and integrating them into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

Represented on the board are the military, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, other government agencies and the private sector.

Among the first task the ex-governor and his team have been saddled with is the harmonisation of databases of Nigerians believed to have been unnecessarily duplicated.

Data expected to be harmonized included the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card registration being handled by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC); Bank Verification Number (BVN); Drivers Licence from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC); and voters card number among others.