The new national identity card will replace the current voters card after the 2015 general elections, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has said.
NIMC Director of Technical Services, Emma Ogungbe disclosed in Abuja that the identity card would enhance the integrity of the electoral process.
He explained that with the new identity card, NIMC could give the details of every eligible voter from a particular Local Government Area, Senatorial District or State in Nigeria.
“During election, you go to a polling booth, you get in there, what you do is carry your ID card with you, they check your name against what NIMC is giving them, tick it and you vote.”
Ogungbe assured Nigerians that the new national ID card would put a permanent end to cases of election rigging including double or multiple registrations or voting.
He said the “new card is error-proof”. “In fact, one of the ministers not long ago even came out to say after the 2015, the NIMC National ID card will become the voters’ card.
“So, that just tells us that very soon, the National ID card will also become the voters card and there would be no need for ad hoc registration by INEC again.
“That money can now be used by government for other purposes to better serve Nigerians.
“We (NIMC) are able to identify you to be you. A time will come if government says NIMC, give me details of everyone in Lagos State, ages 18 and above, we will give it to them; it will be a seamless operation.
“Give me the list of people in so-so local government or the whole of Anambra state ages 18 and above, we will give it to them because they’ve already been in our database and it’s been sanitised, we know they are who they say they are.’’