Chams Plc to drive National Identity Database project
After
a six-year hiatus, the much anticipated National Identity Database project will
come to fruition, as the National Identity management Commission recently
signed off on the project, which will be implemented by leading homegrown
Information and Communication Technology company, Chams Plc. The National
Identity Database project was conceived in 2006, in the wake of the failure of
the National Identity Card project, and its subsequent rejection as a means of
identification by commercial banks.
Given
the overwhelming importance of Identity Management system in any nation, the
Department for National Civic Registration (DNCR) transmuted into the National
Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2007, under the Obasanjo
administration; and was saddled with the responsibility of creating the
National Database for the country and also issuing the General Multi Purpose
Card through a Public Private Partnership Initiative.
More
interesting is the fact that the Chams Consortium is led by Mr. Aladekomo, a leading
technology guru and staunch advocate of appropriate, non – repudiable identity
Management scheme for Nigeria, since the late 1980s. For Aladekomo, whose Chams
Plc has recorded a lot of firsts in spite of being wholly homegrown, the
National Identity Database project may be described as a dream come true; since
it will aid the growth and development of electronic commerce in the country.
Reiterating
the importance of national identity database, and how it is long overdue for
the country to have one, Mr. Aladekomo said: “In simple terms Identity
Management is the identification and management of those attributes that are
used to assert that you are who you claim to be. The
process of Identity management is to standardize communication between institutions
across the country - FRSC, NIS, NPS, NCC, NHIS, FIRS, PENCOM etc, so that one
can identify, verify and authenticate each citizen for their true identity.”
Going
by the myriads of issues that Nigeria has faced in the international community,
coupled with the suspicion that greets anything or one named Nigeria; it is
expedient that we put in place a non-repudiable identity management database
for the country that will enable well meaning Nigerians to forge ahead in life
without unnecessary harassment or unjust treatment owing to lack of integrity
of identity; One that will enable easy access to credit because the bank is
confident of the identity of its client; visa and passport issuance becomes
easier and life invariable for all its citizenry.
In
the letter of award to the consortium, the government stated that the scheme
would be implemented as a build, Transfer and Operate agreement. The
partnership which is subject to a Build, Transfer and Operate Agreement, would
cover areas of conceptualization, design, development, execution and management
of the front end operations of the proposed systems. The secretariat of the
Implementation Committee will arrange for the proper documentation of and
subsequent execution of the agreement.
In
implementing the project, the Chams Consortium plays a pivotal role, which is
to capture data, issue smart cards and provide the card acceptance devices,
among other, with the aim of recouping its investment in 10 years.
Also
speaking on the project, Director General of NIMC, Dr Chris Onyemenam said, “the
ID card is not the focus, it is the data base. The private sector will issue
the card after the data base is established. They will provide card acceptance
devices with which verification can be done. In other countries, such projects are sponsored by the government but because it
is capital intensive, countries like UK, USA, created an arrangement to enable agencies
cross check what everybody wants to know.
"They
go through various data base to confirm the identity of a person. They have
electronic data bases that are running on the same principle. But in
Nigeria, we don’t have that. The one we have is the finger print identity and
it is focus only on issuing card, not identity management. We are having a data
base which will include everybody and all parastatals that deal with people.
What they just need to do is to connect with us and get what they want.
“The
data base itself is government’s responsibility because of its sensitive
nature. But what we want to do is to try as much as possible to reduce the cost
for government for this reform, which is why we are bringing in the private
sector. In terms of collection of data and populate the data centre, the
private sector is responsible for that.”
Mr.
Aladekomo disclosed further that the Chams Consortium has in show of faith in
this project by committing resources to infrastructures such as the Guinness
world certified ChamsCities located in Lagos, Abuja, PortHarcourt and Benin;
the deployment of the 40,000 point of transaction terminals nationwide, the
rural communication community centres being deployed in partnership with NITDA
et al.
“We
are very elated by the signing of this agreement as it marks the commencement
of the project which will immensely benefit the country, the brand – Nigeria,
and Nigerians. It will also provide job opportunities for Nigerians, because
they will be engaged in the data capturing and smart card production exercise.
This definitely will boost our country’s knowledge capacity base and we will be
better off for it, instead of ceding it’s executed to foreign countries who
will take such expertise and knowledge base outside of Nigeria’’, Aladekomo
added.
Already
the Chams Consortium has got a biometric database of over 2million Nigeria from
other identity projects it has carried out, and has shown its strength and
commitment to the development of the identity security in Nigeria.
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