LAGOS – The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) yesterday said it had taken delivery of about 6.6 million National Electronic Identity Cards (e-ID Cards) since the scheme was launched in August 2014.
Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, General Manager, Finance and Investment of NIMC, told newsmen in Lagos.
Abdullahi said that the cards were being issued to their owners from Abuja and Lagos offices.
He added that eligible Nigerians that had enrolled and received the commission’s SMS would soon collect their cards in their respective states.
“The commission is mindful of the fact that the NIMS card scheme, when fully issued, will have in excess of 150 million in circulation and with an estimated annual replacement rate of about 15 per cent.
“The commission worked on the design of the card for over one year. This partly account for the long time it took to start issuing the cards after government gave its approval in November 2012.
“NIMC can confidently say its card is unique and very difficult to counterfeit or forge.
“The commission had taken delivery of about 6.6 million cards since the card was launched in August, 2014, as part of the 13 million cards under the pilot scheme approved in 2012,’’ he said.
Abdullahi said that NIMC had studied the existing Cards Industry – both card manufacture and card personalisation – to enable the commission ascertain the best strategy to adopt for possible local manufacturers of e-ID.
He said that the commission was committed to ensuring local production of the National e-ID Card and worked with the successful bidder to achieve the required capacities and competencies within a short time.
