By Gabriel Atumeyi
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has said over 100 million Nigerians have no official identity across the country.
The Director-General/CEO of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, disclosed this during a paper presenting on the theme: “Database Management and National Development in Nigeria” at a seminar in Abuja.
In a statement issued by the head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Aziz said all levels of government – federal, state and local – must be supported with funding to produce credible data on all areas of operations and services.
He also said, “The over 100 million Nigerians’ include typically, the poorest and most vulnerable groups, including marginalised women and girls, less-educated people, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, people with disabilities and people living in rural and remote areas.
“Only about 38% of the population have any form of ID, 61% of the people live below the poverty line, 22% of labour force involve the unemployed youth, 52.7% of the population are 24 years and below, while 25.9% of the population are above 60 years (pensioners).
“The quality, integrity and availability of accurate data affect decision making and faster actions.”
NIMC plays a strategic key role in Identity Data Management in Nigeria. Government must drive citizen data management and harmonisation of legacy databases for national, regional and local governments’ development,” he said.