Herculean Task Of Getting A National Identification Number And Voters Card In Nigeria!

The buzz to obtain the Nation Identification card is high as eligible Nigerians hustle to get registered and obtain an identification number. On their part, the Federal Government is trying to ensure that as many Nigerians gets to obtain the National ID, as it is pre-requisite to obtaining the International Passport and one of the valid identifications required by banks and other key sectors of the economy. The question however with this initiative is that, like other mandatory requirements, the registration and collection process is herculean. 

Despite efforts to make this process less-stressful with the availability of registration centres in offices, churches and other religious organisations, the challenge is that most of these centres do not have enough laptops for data collation, most times connection to these few-laptops is slow, and there is the routine challenge of "not being able to print-out cards" for already registered individuals.

National Identification Number (NIN) centre area at Ilaje bus-stop, Ajah, Lekki Peninsula

The picture above shows the number of new-registrants and registered individuals waiting to collect their cards under the scourging sun at a registration Centre in one of the banks, at about 11:am, at Ilaje Bus-stop, Ajah, Lekki area of Lagos state, on Wednesday, 4th of April, 2018.

When our correspondence visited the centre, there was crowed at the entrance of the bank. Having collected the slip of some of those who were there for card-collection, NIMC officials asked them to wait down-stairs. After several minutes, an official came down and informed the crowed of the inability of the machine to print-out cards (for those whose slip were already collected), they have to return another day to collect their National Identification cards. Those who were at the venue for fresh-registration were simply asked to return another day. This indicates that only fresh-registrants who arrived the venue before 10:am were registered for the day.

Further enquiry revealed that some of these fresh-registrants and those at the venue for card-collection, came from far places and have to spend about =N=500 or more to and fro the centre. It was equally observed that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) officials assigned to this centre are few compared to the amount of job needed to be done on daily basis.

The challenges of the National Identity Management Commission, is related that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s fresh-registrants and those trying to transfer their Voting Centres from one state to another.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) center at Marwa, Lekki- Peninsula, Lagos

For instance, a check on a complaints registration status on INEC's website on Thursday morning, 5th of April, 2018, indicates that despite having dully applied for a transfer of voting centre since January 23rd, 2018, the centre is yet to be transferred from the registration centre (in another State, in 2011) to Lagos state, where this individual currently resides and hopes to perform her civic-duty in the 2019 elections. These and lot more remain the challenges that frustrates most 'well-meaning' initiatives in the country.

With the provision of more hands to assist, perhaps engaging the services of Youth Coppers, and volunteers, provision of more reliable laptops/ connections, well-mapped out daily plan on stage to stage registration procedures, strict adherence to due-process for registrants irrespective of individual status and relationships, might make the difference.

This post is aimed at getting the attention of the Federal Government, key officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and  the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to investigate this situation and seek effective ways to make these registration processes easy for Nigerians.