Nigerians To Pay For New National Identity Cards, Says NIMC.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that Nigerians will now be required to pay for the newly introduced multipurpose national identity card. The decision, according to the commission, stems from the limited revenue available to the government.
Speaking at a two-day roundtable for journalists in Lagos, Dr. Peter Iwegbu, the Head of Card Management Services at NIMC, explained that the introduction of a fee would help ensure that only those who truly need the card will receive it. “The payment is to ensure that the card is produced for only those who need it,” he said.
Dr. Iwegbu further highlighted that the decision was partly influenced by past experiences when national ID cards were issued free of charge, only for many of them to remain uncollected. “In the previous attempt to issue free National ID cards, over 2 million cards were produced, and many of them have not been collected till date,” he noted.
The NIMC official also acknowledged the government’s financial constraints as a key factor in the decision to charge for the new identity cards. The payment process will allow Nigerians to select a convenient pickup location and then collect their cards from the chosen sites.
This move is aimed at ensuring a more efficient and targeted distribution of the national identity cards, as the government strives to make the system more effective while addressing its budgetary limitations.
