The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) representative described the advantages of the new national identity card. Apart from many other things, it may also be used as an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card anywhere in the world where there is MasterCard logo.
Briefing journalists today in Abuja, NIMC's Director of Technical Services, Mr Emmanuel Ogungbe disclosed the Commission have already signed an agreement with MasterCard.
He explained that, besides being just an ID card, it is also a cash card, so the holder can withdraw money in any place. Moreover, especially within the West African sub-region, it soon would become possible to travel with this card only, passport-free.
Mr. Ogungbe called the card "a general-multi-purpose card". All the holder needs to do, he maintained, is to present it at the point of entry of any country. After the information is checked, the entry would be allowed.
Mr. Ogungbe stressed the new card is "error-proof," and thus, secure.
"We have a system called automated biometrics identification system in our data centre that checks information of newly registered people coming into the database against what we already have in the database," he said. "If there is a hit, that means that person was registered before, and, of course, this means we will deny new registration.
"So, there is no way of beating that system for now; I'm very confident of that. That will ensure that you can only register once."
The card is supposed to assist in tracking criminals as well.
"What the bad elements do is to hide in a way that you won't be able to capture them. But we are saying with this [ID card] we know who they are and we will be able to very easily locate them." Mr. Ogungbe said. If any fingerprints are lifted at the crime scene, it is enough to send them to NIMC - and they will disclose full details on the culprits.
"Talk about even fraud in the banks, where someone will obtain a loan in a particular bank, move on to the next bank without servicing the previous loan to obtain another loan; that will become a thing of the past," Mr. Ogungbe added.
"Because once the bank takes your national identification number, it can see all your various transactions, all various businesses that you have with all the other banks."
He said that government had asked the commission to 'register every single Nigerian and legal residents' but warned the aliens against any attempt to use the card to commit crimes.
"If you are an alien and you think you can continue doing that and go scot-free, then the person's time is numbered because very soon, we will get to him or her," he assured.
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