Nigerian passport
Abuja — The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Tuesday inwards Abuja said starting fourth dimension from Jan 2018, whatsoever citizen who does non possess National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) release tin no longer obtain or renew international passport.
Making this disclosure yesterday later on a coming together alongside the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department of the Presidential Villa, NIS Comptroller General, Mohammed Babandede, said the state had been confronted alongside the challenge of information harmonisation.
According to him, inwards pursuit of information harmonisation, in i lawsuit a citizen is captured past times NIMC, at that spot volition hold upwardly no quest for him/her to hold upwardly captured in i lawsuit to a greater extent than past times NIS, explaining farther that the same regulation applies to foreigners every bit the overall objective is to orbit e-government inwards Nigeria.
"The volume lies on all our table. It is the harmonisation of information together with requires all of us to human activity but the biggest occupation nosotros are facing is that everybody is deploying his ain technology. There is a practical commitment to this. We accept agreed that from 2018 1st January, anybody who is going to use for Nigerian Passport, whether renewal or fresh must initiatory of all accept an NIMC number, national identity number.
"Why nosotros are doing this is nosotros desire to repose draw of piece of work concern for Nigerians. There is no quest for yous to instruct together with accept your bio-metric captured past times NIMC together with therefore yous come upwardly together with capture in i lawsuit to a greater extent than alongside the Nigeria Immigrations.
"Once yous give us your NIMC number, nosotros volition collect the bio-metric from NIMC together with gain your passport. That is the intention to gain inwards all other agencies. I accept likewise given directive that whatsoever foreigner, non-Nigerian resident inwards Nigeria volition non instruct his permit renewed. He or she volition non instruct his passport renewed until he has a NIMC number. To orbit this, NIMC together with passport numbers volition hold upwardly harmonised together with nosotros are committed to allow NIMC inwards Immigration.
"All NIMC staff tin piece of work inwards our passport business office therefore when yous come upwardly to instruct the passport, yous tin likewise instruct the national identity card. The NIMC has likewise allowed immigration staff to piece of work inwards their offices therefore that anybody who is coming to claim Nigerian citizenship, they volition aid to seat that citizen. That is the cooperation that nosotros accept had therefore far," he said.
Babandede likewise stated that the objective of the harmonisation policy was to ensure the entrenchment of i functioning key organization inwards the province where anyone tin secure needed facility from whatsoever of the agencies of government.
He likewise said the organization would instruct far easier to seat whatsoever citizen who is a regular taxpayer or defaulter.
"We are non talking of tax, nosotros are talking of e- government. We desire to accept i e-govenrment. What authorities is proverb is that when yous desire to collect whatsoever facility from whatsoever authorities agency, yous don't quest to await for the document from whatsoever other authorities agency.
"We should hold upwardly able to access it. We should hold upwardly able to know whether yous accept paid your taxation or not. If yous are coming through the drome together with yous desire to locomote out Nigeria, nosotros should hold upwardly able to know that this guy has non paid his taxation together with yous should hold upwardly able to pay your taxation earlier yous depart. We are looking at i e-government together with it is possible," he added.
In his ain submission, Senior Special Assistant to the President on ICT, Lanre Osibona, said the province was making progress on information harmonisation which he said would give Nigeria a boundary on safety matters, innovation, social together with fiscal inclusion every bit good every bit fiscal together with national planning.
Osibona who added that Nigeria was working alongside the World Bank together with Melinda together with Bill Gates Foundation alongside the intention of capturing 180 i grand one thousand Nigerians inwards iii years, farther disclosed that therefore far, entirely most xx i grand one thousand Nigerians had been captured.
"We simply had a proficient coming together inwards terns of national identity which nosotros know is a peachy property for the province together with therefore much piece of work has been ongoing alongside observe to harmonising all the silo information bases.
"We are making progress finally. The benefits of national identity is immense security, innovation, social inclusion, fiscal inclusion. This concerns our citizens together with it helps inwards forecasting budget, improve planning. So, nosotros are determined to ensure that nosotros deliver sum concise database for all Nigerians," he said.
It is proficient to likewise portion alongside yous that when nosotros came inwards most 2 years ago, at that spot were v i grand one thousand records of NIMC but today, nosotros accept moved it about xx i grand one thousand together with nosotros intend to accept upwardly to thirty i grand one thousand past times the goal of this year. We are working alongside the World Bank together with Bill together with Melinda Gates Foundation to accept a proper approach of how nosotros volition hold upwardly able to capture over 180 i grand one thousand over a three-year period.
"Something else that is real worthwhile to advert is constituent of the seek of authorities alongside regards to digital economy. What nosotros accept likewise captured hither is the Public Key Infrastructure which volition sit down inside NITDA. An intention of this is to allow for digital signing of key documents beingness able to authenticate our document digitally.
Again, this helps run across the seek of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on repose of doing business. So, nosotros volition hold upwardly able to accept Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), hold upwardly able to termination certificates digitally, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), taxation clearance, etc. So, the resolution every bit constituent of the coming together hither is that this volition hold upwardly driven past times National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)," he stated.