More than 100 million Nigerians have no official identity
11 May, 2012
category: Biometrics, Government
Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced on Wednesday at the 4th West Africa Information Communications Technology Congress 2012 that more than 100 million Nigerians lacked official identification in the country’s national identity database.
As reported on AllAfrica.com, Chris Onyemenam, director-general of the NIMC, said that this constitutes about two-thirds of the population. Nigeria has a population of 150 million.
Along with the lack of records in the identity database, the NIMC also has problems with reliable proof of identity in order to keep security threats at bay. Onyemenam said nearly 75% of the identity documents for individuals, companies and government agencies were false and self-issued.
The NIMC continues to push on with its national identity database, aiming to register all Nigerians 16 and older within 40 months and provide them with National Identification Numbers.
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