THE NEED FOR A DIGITIZED IDENTIFICATION SYTEM IN NIGERIA
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:36 amTHE NEED FOR A DIGITIZED IDENTIFICATION SYTEM IN NIGERIA
A digitized identity is a data that describes a person and contain information about the person. A national digitized identification system will assign each citizen and all people that reside in a country, digitized identity which will be stored and retrieved when required by authorized institutions.
‘In India national ID program called Aadhaar is the largest biometric database of the world. It is a biometrics-based digital identity assigned for lifetime, verifiable online instantly in public domain, anytime, from anywhere, in a paperless way. It is designed to enable government agencies to deliver retail public service securely based on biometric data (fingerprint, iris scan and face photo), along with demographic data (name, age, gender, address, parent/spouse name, mobile phone number) of a person. The data is transmitted in encrypted form over internet for authentication, aiming to free it from limitations of physical presence of a person at a given place. It has enrolled about 550 million residents and assigned 480 million Aadhaar numbers as of 7 November 2013.[13] It aims to cover entire population of 1.25 billion in a few years.’ …...Wikipedia. All affluent countries have a digitized identification system.
The importance of national identification system:
(a) Every country in the world has borders and within those borders her citizens. The citizens of a nation have privileges and responsibilities. Without identifications, the privileges will be shared with none nationals while the responsibilities may not be afforded to a nation by none citizens. For example without the knowledge of the citizens within a country a foreigner may assume the highest position in the land, the President. There could be ‘sleepers’ (implanted foreigners in a nation to do harm at specific designated time) that have no responsibility and allegiance to our nation. Every country assigns each member who resides within it a digitized identification to identify their citizens. The national digital identification system is very important because no individual State’s digital identification system can function without it. For example to attain a driver’s licence, a medical insurance plan, a birth certificate (at birth), these important identifications, need proof of nationality, temporary resident, or permanent resident. People in the country travel from one State to another we must have a central (national digital identification) that will enable any institution (E.g. the law enforcement agent or the vehicle licencing dept.) to ascertain the name, the residence, and status of the individual with the identification. This one national digital identification system is essential.
(b) National digitized identification system enables the government of a nation to support her citizen. Available information of age, gender, occupation, residence, enables the government to provide the need of her citizens. For example the knowledge of the population of an area provides information for the water pressure required for adequate water supply, schools, electricity, assigned law enforcement, etc.
(c) The creation of a national digitized identification system will be the foundation for other identifications by individual States. Each State can now have her digitized driver’s licence, medical insurance, digitized property ownership, etc. which cannot be functionally provided without the proof of citizenship.
(d) National digital identification fosters relationships between individuals, institutions and the government. Everyone will be able to exchange their goods and services with the least interference because they now know each other through identifications. It will be much easier to transact business, attain and/or pay our dues, and request for information, from institutions and the government.
(e) This identification will provide many privileges. It will enable credit between individuals and between individuals and institutions that will create opportunity which will support production and employment. It will also support our small market (venues of exchange) which is presently ‘chocking’ production.
(f) It will discipline and condition the society to conform to the rule of law and make each individual responsible. It will be much easier to track each citizen and monitor individual’s compliance to their obligations. For example the law enforcement agent can now issue a ticket for an infraction and it becomes easier to locate offenders.
What we want to be as a nation is what our collective expectation is. It is not that many of us do not know the importance of digital identification we simply put it aside for political or economic gain. It is up to the politicians to appease those members whose economic advantage may be marginalized if digital identification is implemented. That is politics. We must do all to move forward the future of our children and their children depend on it.
A digitized identity is a data that describes a person and contain information about the person. A national digitized identification system will assign each citizen and all people that reside in a country, digitized identity which will be stored and retrieved when required by authorized institutions.
‘In India national ID program called Aadhaar is the largest biometric database of the world. It is a biometrics-based digital identity assigned for lifetime, verifiable online instantly in public domain, anytime, from anywhere, in a paperless way. It is designed to enable government agencies to deliver retail public service securely based on biometric data (fingerprint, iris scan and face photo), along with demographic data (name, age, gender, address, parent/spouse name, mobile phone number) of a person. The data is transmitted in encrypted form over internet for authentication, aiming to free it from limitations of physical presence of a person at a given place. It has enrolled about 550 million residents and assigned 480 million Aadhaar numbers as of 7 November 2013.[13] It aims to cover entire population of 1.25 billion in a few years.’ …...Wikipedia. All affluent countries have a digitized identification system.
The importance of national identification system:
(a) Every country in the world has borders and within those borders her citizens. The citizens of a nation have privileges and responsibilities. Without identifications, the privileges will be shared with none nationals while the responsibilities may not be afforded to a nation by none citizens. For example without the knowledge of the citizens within a country a foreigner may assume the highest position in the land, the President. There could be ‘sleepers’ (implanted foreigners in a nation to do harm at specific designated time) that have no responsibility and allegiance to our nation. Every country assigns each member who resides within it a digitized identification to identify their citizens. The national digital identification system is very important because no individual State’s digital identification system can function without it. For example to attain a driver’s licence, a medical insurance plan, a birth certificate (at birth), these important identifications, need proof of nationality, temporary resident, or permanent resident. People in the country travel from one State to another we must have a central (national digital identification) that will enable any institution (E.g. the law enforcement agent or the vehicle licencing dept.) to ascertain the name, the residence, and status of the individual with the identification. This one national digital identification system is essential.
(b) National digitized identification system enables the government of a nation to support her citizen. Available information of age, gender, occupation, residence, enables the government to provide the need of her citizens. For example the knowledge of the population of an area provides information for the water pressure required for adequate water supply, schools, electricity, assigned law enforcement, etc.
(c) The creation of a national digitized identification system will be the foundation for other identifications by individual States. Each State can now have her digitized driver’s licence, medical insurance, digitized property ownership, etc. which cannot be functionally provided without the proof of citizenship.
(d) National digital identification fosters relationships between individuals, institutions and the government. Everyone will be able to exchange their goods and services with the least interference because they now know each other through identifications. It will be much easier to transact business, attain and/or pay our dues, and request for information, from institutions and the government.
(e) This identification will provide many privileges. It will enable credit between individuals and between individuals and institutions that will create opportunity which will support production and employment. It will also support our small market (venues of exchange) which is presently ‘chocking’ production.
(f) It will discipline and condition the society to conform to the rule of law and make each individual responsible. It will be much easier to track each citizen and monitor individual’s compliance to their obligations. For example the law enforcement agent can now issue a ticket for an infraction and it becomes easier to locate offenders.
What we want to be as a nation is what our collective expectation is. It is not that many of us do not know the importance of digital identification we simply put it aside for political or economic gain. It is up to the politicians to appease those members whose economic advantage may be marginalized if digital identification is implemented. That is politics. We must do all to move forward the future of our children and their children depend on it.