The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that an improved multi-purpose biometric identity card will soon be made available.
The new card, according to NIMC, intends to address a variety of use cases for interventions from the public and private sectors.
NIMC’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, made the announcement at a media briefing on improved NIN cards in Abuja.
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The new card’s payment features and identity serve as a foundation for tackling the nation’s social and economic problems, according to NIMC.
“The key features of this card are the biometric, based on the fingerprint, which is the only one that is currently unique; the card has a long validity period because it’s also fully KYC enabled; it has offline and online capability, which means in locations where there is limited access to internet, this card will still work and be used for those services that it’s designed to achieve,” Coker-Odusote said.
“And you can meet out cash, digital tokens, wallet, and email and it also has some banking details inside the chip that enables the holder to perform every other thing that can be done with ENV-enabled card.
“On the back, the card provides additional functionalities which enable Nigerians and those who are going to have access to it to be able to prove their identity at any point in time they are called to do that.”
Coker-Odusote also said the second programme of the card, called the Government of People card, G2P, reflects the current need for government and its agencies, and even the private sectors, to be able to identify people who are providing such services in a very secure and verifiable manner.
She also disclosed that the card would be made available to Nigerians at an affordable cost.
Coker-Odusote said that the newly designed biometric card is designed to uplift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty and provide seamless services.
