Obaseki Inaugurates Residency Card, Targets One Million by 2024

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has unveiled residency identity card, with a target to issue one million cards to residents of the state before the end of his tenure in 2024.

The governor launched the card as part of the 2022 Alaghodaro Summit with the theme, “Edo’s Transformation: Partnerships, Resilience, Impact.”

The summit, in its sixth edition, is organised yearly, in partnership with the private sector, to mark Obaseki’s anniversary and showcase the progress being recorded in transforming the state into an investment hub.

Speaking at the launch, Obaseki said: “Today, we are launching the Edo State Residency Card. We estimate that we have about five million people who live and reside in our state but we don’t know them.

“The purpose of this card, which has been designed in partnership with some of our financial partners, is to make sure that before I leave office, we issue a minimum of one million of this card to our citizens.

“The cards will come in different forms. Some will come with electronic purses to enable people to use them for financial transactions while some will be for students.

He added: “The policy is that you may not be able to interact with government services in Edo State without the residency card. No child will be accepted in our schools if we don’t know their parents; they all have to be registered as citizens.

“This Residency Card is linked to the National Identity Care under the NIMC scheme. We are using the same algorithm as NIMC to issue this card.’

He further charged, “I urge all citizens of Edo State to go out there to register themselves to be issued with the card. You may not have need for the card physically, but you must have your identity number to enable us to know you.”

“In all your interactions with us, the identity number will be stated. If we don’t know you, you can’t interact with the government. You can’t get land in Edo or health insurance or register your building plans if we don’t know you and where you live in our State.”

Also speaking, the state Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, who presented the first identity card to the governor, said the identity card project is one of the numerous developmental and innovative projects embarked upon by the state government.

He noted, “This card will help us plan effectively for the development, growth and progress of the state.”