FG Inaugurates Steering Committee for Nigeria’s Digital Identity W’Bank Project

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The federal government has inaugurated the newly constituted Steering Committee for the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) World Bank Project.

In his inaugural speech, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, charged the committee to ensure that every Nigerian was enrolled on the digital identification system, which would facilitate access to services, improve service delivery and bolster Nigeria’s digital economy.

The steering committee is to be chaired by the SGF while it has the Director-General of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote as Secretary.

Other members include the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.

Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, expressed the readiness of the federal government to expedite the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap for the project through the establishment of a three-tiered institutional framework consisting of a steering committee, strategic unit and an implementation unit within the NIMC.

He noted that, the institutional frameworks were tasked with overall governance, coordination and communication with ecosystem partners and day-to-day project implementation.

He underscored the high premium the Tinubu-led administration places on the digital identity with the recent reinforcement of the extant approval for the mandatory use of National Identification Number (NIN) for digital services and the issuance of service-wide circular from OSGF to this effect.

Speaking earlier, Coker-Odusote assured that the establishment of the Steering Committee would herald a new era of collaboration, innovation and progress in the collective efforts to harness the power of digital technology for socio-economic development, empowering individuals, and fostering inclusive growth.

She expressed appreciation for the readiness of the Steering Committee to

bring their wealth of expertise, insights, and dedication to bear in the execution of their mandates, stressing that their collective wisdom and guidance will be instrumental in shaping the strategic direction, policies, and frameworks necessary to ensure the successful implementation of this transformative project.