‘National identity programme’ll fail without political will’ – TheNigerialawyer

The National Identity Management Commission has warned that the
country’s National Identity Programme will not succeed without a
strong political will on the part of government.

The Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, who spoke at the
General Assembly of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in
Kaduna, also stressed that the programme would fail if it did not
receive adequate funding.

In a paper entitled ‘Importance of national identity to
nation-building’, Aziz said, “Without strong political leadership
and commitment, financial resources and stakeholder collaboration,
the National Identity Programme will not be successful and
sustained.

“Like any government reform, political will and strong
leadership are required to implement the national identity
project.”

NIMC, which is coordinating the identity programme, has so far
enrolled about 38 million Nigerians for the National Identification
Number Project.

Aziz disclosed that NIMC had been facing some challenges in its
efforts to enrol Nigerians for the NIN.

The challenges, according to him, include poor funding,
inadequate mobilisation and limited awareness.

He urged the royal fathers to help in creating awareness for the
programme, and assist in mobilising their subjects to enable them
to enrol for the identity number.

A successful implementation of the identity programme would grow
and further modernise Nigeria’s economy, Aziz noted.