News in Brief

Nigerian Banks to Print National Identity Card

The Nigerian government is planning to authorise banks to issue debit cards that will double as National Identity Cards, following the failure of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to issue the cards to applicants.

The move was announced by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, who said: ‘it is going to be a form of a multipurpose card where it will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other hand, either Mastercard, Visa, or any other kind of card.’ 

Pantami explained that although the NIMC Act 2007 only mandates Nigerians to have a National Identity Number and not necessarily a physical card, the demand for cards is high.