FG declares September 16 National Identity Day, what National Identity Day is

The Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari has declared September 16 as National Identity Day.

The FG has also supported the enrolment of Nigerians for Digital Identity (ID) across the country.

This was made known in a statement signed on Tuesday in Abuja by Mrs Uwa Suleiman, spokeperson to Dr. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

Pantami reminded Nigerians of the necessity of digital identity, adding that the ministry was developing the right policy environment to support enrolment for digital IDs in the country.

He said that the celebration of the National Identity Day would take place virtually, adding that digital IDs play important roles in the development of digital economies, as they were often called the fabrics of the digital economies.

FG declares September 16 National Identity Day, what National Identity Day is

Pantami explained, “The Sept. 16, has been declared as the National Identity Day. Following the approval of the federal government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria also formally adopted 16.9 as the National Identity Day.

“This year’s edition of the National Identity Day will take place virtually on the same date and will have the theme: Identity for Health, Sustainable Development and Growth.

“We will start by capturing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and will also support the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other stakeholders to ensure that we make the process of obtaining digital identities swift and secure.

“One of the key objectives of pillar 6 (Soft Infrastructure) of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) is support for the accelerated implementation of a Digital Identity Programme,” he said.

The minister said that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa rightly noted that Digital Identity and the digital economy were not only linked, but reinforcing as digital ID was the basis for platforms of digital economy.

He explained that digital identification can be an important catalyst for various development initiatives in the continent such as impacting on trade, governance, social protection, financial inclusion, domestic resource mobilisation, as well as security and human rights.

As the world and Nigeria celebrate the International Identity Day and National Identity Day, accordingly, Pantami called on Nigerians to support the development of the digital economy by embracing the use of digital identities.

He encouraged Nigerians to visit NIMC accredited centres for their digital identities.

Dr Pantami said that his ministry is committed to ensuring that Nigeria derives the benefits of a functional digital ID system and urged all stakeholders to support the process of digital Identity.