7 things to know about proposed new national ID card

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) recently rolled out plans to launch an improved National Identity Card (NIC) layered with payment capabilities and functionalities to deliver social service programmes.

The move, according to NIMC is in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through AFRIGOPAY Financial Services.

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The newly improved national identity card is integrated with capabilities to facilitate payments and deliver social service programmes.

It operates under the mandate of the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007 and obliges the commission to enroll and distribute General Multipurpose Cards (GMPC) to Nigerian citizens and legal residents.

NIMC in a statement on Friday pointed out seven key facts about the proposed new general multipurpose national ID card.

“The new National ID Card is a single, convenient, and General multipurpose card (GMPC) , eliminating the need for multiple cards—not three,” NIMC said.

“The single GMPC has multiple use cases: Payments/Financial, Government intervention/services, travel, etc.

“The National Identity Management Commission is working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System to deliver the payment and financial use cases.”

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According to NIMC, the card will be powered by the AFRIGO card scheme, an indigenous scheme powered by NIBSS.

The commission said applicants for the card will have to request with their National Identity Number (NIN) through the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks.

NIMC said the card will be issued through the applicants’ respective banks in line with existing protocols with the issuance of the Debit/Credit cards.

It said holders can get the card at the designated center or receive it at the requested location.

The commission added in the statement that the extra cost will, however, be borne by the applicants.