NIMC selects 6 firms for local production of e-ID

The Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Chris Onyemenam, said the commission has selected six firms for local production of the National e-ID Card.

Onyemenam, who stated this in Abuja, said the selection followed the final financial bid opening conducted by the commission.

He explained that the six firms, including Electronic Pay Plus Ltd, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc and Secure ID Ltd, were involved in the final race for a possible selection.

`` To ensure sufficient local capacity, we decided to appoint a few of the firms so as to ensure efficiency.

“We will guide them in the process to attain appropriate technical specifications and global standards.

``Currently there is no local manufacturing firm that has been certified and or accredited or with sufficient experience to produce the eID Card,’’ he said.

The NIMC boss said the commission would support the local manufactures to attain certification in local content policy to discourage importation of e-ID cards.

``This will help build local content level, indigenous expertise and technology transfer as well as create employment opportunities, in line with the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan.’’

The Director noted that the Commission worked on the design of the Card for over a year.

``This partly accounts for the long time it took to start issuing the cards after Government gave its approval in November 2012.

``NIMC can confidently say its card is unique and very difficult to counterfeit or forge,'' he added.

According to him, the Commission has taken delivery of about 6.6 million cards out of the 13 million cards under the pilot scheme approved in 2012.

He said the distribution of the card would soon commence in all state offices of the NIMC nationwide.