The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared September 16 as National Identity Day and has supported the enrolment of Nigerians for Digital Identity (ID) across the country.
Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications
and Digital Economy, said this in a statement signed by Uwa Suleiman, his
spokesperson, in Abuja.
Mr Pantami reminded Nigerians of the
importance of digital identity, adding that the ministry was developing the
right policy environment to support enrolment for digital IDs in the country.
He said that the celebration of the
National Identity Day would take place virtually, adding that digital IDs play
critical roles in the development of digital economies, as they were often
called the fabrics of the digital economies.
Mr Pantami also stressed that the
importance of a digital identity programme for the successful development of a
digital economy cannot be overstated.
“The Sept. 16, has been declared as the National Identity Day.
Following the approval of the federal government under the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria also formally adopted 16.9 as the National
Identity Day.
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.
“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.
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