The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that Nigerians will be required to pay for the new multipurpose national identity cards due to limited government revenue.
Peter Iwegbu, NIMC head of card management services, disclosed this on Thursday during a two-day press conference in Lagos.
According to Iwegbu, the decision aims to ensure that only those who genuinely need the card receive it, thereby avoiding the inefficiencies of previous free distribution efforts. He noted that over two million identity cards produced in earlier attempts remain uncollected.
“Before we stopped due to funding, we produced more than two million cards, but a lot of them are still in our office. People were not able to pick them up because they didn’t need it,” Iwegbu explained.
He attributed the decision to low collection rates and the government’s inability to fund the production of ID cards amid revenue constraints.
“The government’s limited revenue is a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card,” he added.
To simplify access, Iwegbu said NIMC is collaborating with banks nationwide to enable citizens to request and obtain the cards at their nearest bank branch.
