Lecturers want national ID card issued at birth

Lagos – Some university lecturers on Monday called for issuance of identity cards to Nigerians at birth to eliminate false claims of citizenship by foreigners.

In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, they hailed the national identification exercise, and called for collaboration with local governments to facilitate achievement of the objective.

The identification is being carried out by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Prof. Femi Omotosho, a Political Science Lecturer, University of Ado-Ekiti, advised that the identification should be given by local governments at birth with effective monitoring by NIMC.

He called for a central database, where identities of all Nigerians could be easily verified.

“We should be mindful of how to carry out this task effectively because we have a lot of Yoruba people who have families in Togo and have allegiance to them,” he however, advised.

He said that the issuance of an identity card would reduce insurgency, and called for commitment to the exercise.

Mr Chris Doghudge, Lecturer at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, said that issuance of a national identity card would reduce insurgency in Nigeria, but called for proper monitoring and screening of persons to eliminate infiltration by foreigners.

He noted that some northern Nigerians had similar names with citizens of Chad and Niger Republic.

“To some extent, the national identity card can solve the issue of insurgency taking place in the country.

“Those in the north such as the Hausas and the Fulanis have similar names with those in Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroon residing in Nigeria.

“They (NIMC) need to be very careful so that the purpose of the identity card will be achieved,” he said.

Doghudge lauded the identity card initiative, urging that identity cards should be issued at birth to check fraud.

– NAN