The Electronic Identity Card

Ekene Eyimegwu

3 years ago

A 2019 court order put a temporary halt to electronic identity card issuance initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration after 1.2 million cards had been issued. The electronic identity card was supposed to be the super app of civil registers and traditional ID cards, combining identification that is digitally verifiable with the ability to make electronic payments, and even withdraw cash at ATMs. The attention was then changed from electronic cards to simply issuing paper-printed National Identification Numbers (NIN). NIMC has successfully enrolled over 70 million Nigerian residents and citizens which represents roughly about 35% of the population.

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The Nigerian Government has declared openly that it would revert to Tokenization by ditching its National Identification Number (NIN) and replacing it with a suite of digital Tokens. This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami at the stakeholders’ workshop on the National Identification Number (NIN) Tokenization Solution organized by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Abuja. Federal Government says the system was carried out to protect the privacy of Nigerians during verification of transactions and to reduce tediums during retrieval, usage, transfer, and storage of NIN. The tokenization solution would protect the personally identifiable information of the users. One of the benefits of the virtual NIN is to ensure no third party may carry out any verification, hiding behind a representative (and without the knowledge of the NIMC, being the Custodian of Identity) as the NIN holder is the only exclusive issuer of NIN and cannot be delegated. The minister also explained that anonymization was also provided with the attachment of the User ID of the verifier to every verification request adding that without it, there will not be any verification. He also added that the federal government must stress the need for every Nigerian to have a digital identity, regardless of social class or economic status. Mr Tunji Durodola, The technical Consultant of NIMC, said that the Digital Token was built to replace the 11-digit NIN for everyday usage. He also added that the improved NIN slip had a smaller form factor and is available to all who have been issued an active NIN and that they can be purchased without visiting the NIMC office. Some of the pre-requisites for tokenization are, a NIN issued by NIMC, a mobile number registered in Nigeria, and linked to the NIN. The National Electronic Identity Card (e-ID card) is a chip-based card with many functions. As mentioned earlier, the card is a token given upon successful enrollment into the National Identity System. The National Identification Number (NIN) is for all Nigerians and Legal Residents without any age restrictions but the National e-ID Card can only be issued to Nigerians registered into the National Identity System and Legal Citizens/Residents who have attained the age of 16 years and above. The 11-digit National Identification Number (NIN) is not the same thing as the National e-ID Card which is a physical token.

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It is worthy to note the following:

The NIN can be used on its own for digital identity verification without the e-ID card.
The e-ID card cannot be used on its own for digital identity verification without the NIN first being stored within its chip.
The number printed on the e-ID card is not the NIN but the PAN (Primary Account Number) used for accessing the card’s payment feature once activated.

The e-ID card has provisions for 13 applets out of which five (5) is activated at the point of collecting the card while the other will be implemented at subsequent dates. The five (5) active applets are:

Electronic Identity Information (e-ID)
EMV Payment (Euro-pay MasterCard and Visa card)
Verification – Match-on-Card
Security – Electronic Public Key Infrastructure (ePKI)
Travel – International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

The remaining eight (8) applets will be implemented in subsequent phases. These are:

e-Health Application
e-Pension Application
e-Voting Application
e-Taxation Application
e-drivers License Application
e-Transport Application
e-SIM Application
e-Insurance Application

The applets are designed to facilitate the relationships of individuals with the Government and its Institutions using the National e-ID Card to be able to assess a wide range of services such as social protection, financial inclusion, and migration. The card is smart, flexible, and trendy with relevant security features to forestall fraudulent activities. It also provides a means for an individual’s identity to be checked without exposing the person’s information. Featured Image Source: National Identity Management Commission

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