TECHDIGEST – Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Aziz Abubakar has tasked members of the Management of the Commission to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the country’s Public Procurement Act.

The NIMC helmsman gave the charge in Lagos on Monday, while delivering his remarks at a 3-day Interactive Workshop on Procurement and understanding of the World Bank procurement process, procedures, and Ecosystem Enrolment readiness, organized by the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) Project, in collaboration with NIMC.

According to a Press Release, jointly signed by the Nigeria Digital ID4D project Communications Manager, Dr. Walter Duru and NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, the NIMC CEO stressed that the event was put together to enhance the capacity of the Management team on the provisions and application of the country’s Public Procurement Act.

He spoke on the need for similar training to be held more frequently to ensure improved capacity of team members on contemporary issues in public procurement.

In his statement of the workshop objectives, Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification Project, Musa Odole Solomon described the meeting as geared towards updating participants on contemporary issues in procurement, adding that “there was the need for understanding the meeting point between the country’s procurement laws and the World Bank’s procurement regulations.”

Also speaking, Director, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at NIMC, Hadiza Dagabana called for the amendment of Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act.

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According to her, “the Public Procurement Act was passed in 2007. We are in 2023. A lot of things have changed over the years and there are so many gaps in the Act. It is time for an amendment.”

She described the workshop as impactful, urging the participants to put into practice the knowledge acquired.

In her “Overview of Public Procurement Act (2007) and its convergence with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for Borrowers,” Ag. Director of Procurement at the National Identity Management Commission, Princess Nkoyo Iwok, called on public institutions in Nigeria to embrace transparency and accountability in all their transactions, reiterating that sanctions apply for violation of the public procurement law.

Iwok identified some common offences in procurement as “bid rigging, collusion, splitting of contracts, procurement fraud, altering procurement documents, willful refusal to allow bureau and its officers access to any procurement records and using fake documents.”

She highlighted some of the sanctions for violation of the Public Procurement Act to include imprisonment, upon conviction, among others.

On the convergence between World Bank Procurement Guidelines for Borrowers & Nigeria Public Procurement Act 2007, Iwok stressed that “both the World Bank Procurement Guidelines and Nigeria’s Public Procurement Law emphasize the importance of procurement planning.”

On transparency and competition, she explained that “both the World Bank Procurement Guidelines and Nigeria’s Public Procurement Law promote transparency and competition in procurement processes.”

Continuing, she argued that “while there are some similarities between the two procurement frameworks, it is important to note that the World Bank Procurement Guidelines are generally more comprehensive and detailed than Nigeria’s Public Procurement Law. As such, borrowers in Nigeria that are subject to the World Bank Procurement Guidelines will need to ensure that their procurement practices are consistent with both frameworks,” she stressed.

In his presentation on Proposal and Bid Evaluation procedures/Project Risk Management and Control strategy, Procurement Officer, Project Implementation Unit of the Nigeria Digital ID4D, Ibrahim Abu, argued that “procurement is infused with numerous risks,” even as he made a case for proper risk management practices and tactics to reduce same.

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TECHDIGEST – The Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Aziz has charged staff of the Corporate Communications Unit of the Commission to be professional in the discharge of their duties.

Engr. Aziz made the call while addressing participants at a 3-day Retreat organised for staff of the Corporate Communications Unit of the commission, held at Global Village Hotel, Nasarawa State, from 20th -22nd September 2022. The Retreat was supported by the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project.

According to a statement jointly signed by the Manager, Communications, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project, Dr. Walter Duru and Head, Corporate Communications at NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, the NIMC helmsman also charged the participants to be more focused on delivery of excellent service to the citizens.

Speaking on the Retreat, Engr. Aziz said that “It is very exciting. I have got beautiful feedback from my staff.

They said they have learnt so much and they look forward to putting them into practice. They have promised that I will see positive changes in the Corporate Communications Unit of the Commission.”

“I commend the Nigeria Digital ID4D project for the support to the Commission, particularly, around identification of gaps and taking deliberate steps towards closing the gaps.

This Communication Retreat is one of such interventions. Nigeria ID4D has provided resources and experts to support the Commission. The organisation’s ecosystem model is great, and we are excited to implement it.”

He further advised participants to put into practise the knowledge acquired, to improve their performance.

Earlier in his remarks, Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital ID4D project, Musa Odole Solomon pledged the project’s commitment to sustained collaboration with NIMC and other ecosystem partners, even as he thanked the Commission for cooperating with the project.

Earlier in her presentation titled “NIMC: Mandate, Organisational Goals and Mission”, the commission’s Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, Barr. Hadiza Dagabana tasked participants to focus on delivering the organisation’s mandate through professional corporate communications practice.

In his presentation on “Corporate Communications: Implications, Strategies and Results”, former Commissioner for Information in Imo State and Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Prof. Emman-Owums Owuamalam urged participants to take deliberate steps to close gaps in communication between the commission and the citizens.

Also, in his paper titled “Launching a Communication Value-Chain Culture in NIMC,” Presly Obukoadata, an Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Digital Media, urged participants to uphold the values of the commission, even as he spoke on the need for a blend of promotional tools in communication design and implementation.

In their respective remarks, NIMC’s Acting Director/Head of DG’s Office, Mrs. Uche Chigbo, Head of Procurement, Princess Nkoyo Iwok, Head of Finance, Abolaji Akinola, Head of Enforcement, James Bura Mamza, Umaru Ba, Head, Human Capital Management, Rhoda Jackden and External Communications Manager, Nigeria ID4D, Mouktar Adamu, urged participants to implement the skills acquired from the Retreat, assuring them of management’s continued support.

The 3-day Retreat, with the theme “Inspiring NIMC towards a New Era of Marketable Nigerian Identity Campaign” was aimed at reminding participants of their roles towards achieving organisational objectives, aligning them with organisational culture and values, understanding of best practices in corporate communications, identification of strengths and weaknesses of the corporate communications team, while agreeing on next steps.

Highlights of the Retreat were paper presentations, team-bonding activities, interactive sessions, break-out sessions, among others.

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Walter Duru, Ph.D

TECHDIGEST – Just like many other members of the Nigerian delegation, I felt very proud to be a Nigerian, when, at the 2022 ID4Africa Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, my dearly beloved country was celebrated for leading the Identity revolution in Africa. The message was very clear; the ovation was loudest; many others present at the Conference must have wished that they were Nigerians at that very moment.

Nigeria received global commendation for leading identity reforms in Africa, by being the first country to introduce and celebrate a National Identity Day.

Speaking at the Conference, Executive Chairman of ID4Africa, Dr. Joseph Atick poured encomiums on Nigeria over her leadership role in promoting identification in Africa.

Hear him: “I like to update the call to recognize 16 September as Identity Day, in commemoration of SDG 16.9, which we had first made in 2018. Today, I would like to call on all the relevant African authorities to officially recognize this day as their Identity Day. Identity is a priority for Africa. Nigeria led the continent in this regard, and we applaud them for it. We would love to see the rest of the African countries doing the same.”

Director General, National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, explained that “we adopted September 16 as National Identity Day in order to ensure that attention is drawn to the benefits and implications of citizens having a National Identity Number.”

September 16 is celebrated yearly in Nigeria as National Identity Day, as a way of creating awareness on the benefits and implications of a legal means of identity, and in this case, the unique National Identity Number (NIN). The idea is that a National ID Day is an effective tool to sensitize the population and mobilize national resources around promoting identification.

On the necessity of a unique identification for Nigerians, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission – NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz explained that:

“Digital Identity is crucial for any digital economy. The NIN is therefore essential for its realization. In the United States, three main numbers work there. One is the telephone number. The second is the Zonal Improvement Plan (ZIP code). Every zone has a number attached to it. Then, they have their Social Security Number. Now that we have the NIN, we need to move to integrate the numbers for proper planning.”

“If you have a child, you give the child a name. It is applicable in this case. The NIN is like: how do I give my citizens unique names that the government will call them? The advantages are enormous. You must differentiate one from another. It is a form of differentiation. It also serves security purposes. That is what protects all developed nations, and it must be in a digital way so that it may be verified. The inconvenience is not as much as the benefits. Very soon, whatever the government wants to do with you in Nigeria, they will ask you for your NIN.”

Identification is a right and an instrument of citizens’ protection. It opens the doors for access to government services, benefits, and opportunities. Little wonder in Nigeria today, there is hardly any government service that one can access without a NIN.

Digital Identification helps detect fraud. It also reduces the need for physical presence. It enhances customer trust and helps to protect organisational reputation.

When implemented properly, identification systems have the potentials to assist countries achieve inclusive development, while enhancing security of lives and property, as nationwide use of reliable means of identification can help to combat crime and illegal immigration.

The ability to produce a unique, secure, and reliable form of identification for residents of a country provides numerous development benefits for individuals, from accessing government and business services, to establishing their right of residence and employment in a region.

Ultimately, National Identity is necessary for achieving implementation of social protection systems, particularly, in ensuring that the vulnerable in the society are not marginalized.

Better identification, authentication, and targeting mechanisms can improve transparency, reduce waste, and streamline service delivery.

It will also help in fighting the cankerworm of corruption, while helping the government to plan adequately and accurately.

The benefits of a unique identification system notwithstanding, poorly implemented identification systems could create certain risks for the society.

Now that the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project has taken off, deliberate steps must be taken to ensure that systems are in place to guide the Digital Identification implementation in Nigeria.

Present efforts by the Nigeria Digital ID4D and the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau towards the enactment of a Data Protection Law for Nigeria could not have come at a better time. Having a law that protects citizens’ data, to prevent abuse is essential to build trust, while assuring citizens of the safety and security of their data.

The National Identity Management Commission must take deliberate steps to upscale and sustain communication and public enlightenment activities, with a view to deepening understanding, while closing trust gaps on the country’s National Identity project.

There is the need for a deliberate strategy for the poor, women, children, rural dwellers, minorities, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people.

The benefits of having a unique and verifiable ID are enormous. The objectives can only be achieved if stakeholders commit to working together.

Every Nigerian must enrol on the national identification project, own a Unique Identification Number (NIN), to access public services and help the government to succeed.

Visit the NIN enrolment centre nearest to you today, to be a complete Nigerian.

All hands must be on deck!

Dr. Walter Duru is a Communications expert and Public Relations Strategist. He could be reached on: walterchike@gmail.com.

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