FG Supports Enrolment of Nigerians for Digital Identity, Proclaims Sept. 16 National Identity Day

The Federal Government has proclaimed September 16 as National Identity Day and has encouraged the enrollment of Nigerians for Digital Identity across the country.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami said this on Tuesday in a statement signed by Mrs Uwa Suleiman, his spokesperson in Abuja. “This year’s edition of the National Identity Day will take place virtually on the same date and will have the theme: Identity for Health, Sustainable Development and Growth”.

He explained that the celebration of the National Identity Day would take place virtually, stressing that the importance of a digital identity programme for the successful development of a digital economy cannot be overstated. He said that the ministry was developing the right policy environment to support enrollment for digital IDs in the country.

And dwelling on the specifics of the exercise, the statement read “We will start by capturing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and will also support the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other stakeholders to ensure that we make the process of obtaining digital identities swift and secure”.

“One of the key objectives of pillar 6 (Soft Infrastructure) of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) is support for the accelerated implementation of a Digital Identity Programme,” he said.

He said that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa rightly noted that Digital Identity and the digital economy were not only linked, but reinforcing as digital ID was the basis for digital economy platforms.

He explained that digital identification can be an important catalyst for various development initiatives in the continent like impacting on trade, governance, social protection, financial inclusion, as well as security and human rights.

As the world and Nigeria marks the International Identity Day and National Identity Day, accordingly, the digital Minister urged Nigerians to support the development the digital economy by embracing the use of digital identities.