Aregbesola Wants FG To Emulate Osun’s Deployment Of Technology For Effective Governance *Says Secured National Identity Card Scheme Long Overdue

Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Federal Government to take a cue from Osun in the deployment of technology to guarantee effective and efficient governance.

Aregbesola made the call on Wednesday in Osun during the flag-off of registration of national identity card in Osogbo.

Speaking to journalists after his registration, the governor said Osun has deployed technology in most of its sectors of the economy for the purpose of economic growth, safe commercial transactions and crime control.

He disclosed that all civil servants in the state have been registered and now carry electronic smart cards for all transactions, adding that government has registered all farmers and the sizes of their farmlands; finished smart cards for over 750 students and will soon commence enumeration of the operators of informal sectors early next year.

The Governor stated that the national identification card for every Nigerian is long overdue.

According to him, a national identity card that carries the biometric data of every citizen will save the nation from so many political and economic complications and embarrassments.

He noted that for the country to have a modern, civilised, just and almost crime-free society, the national identity card is a necessity.

He said: “We need the national identity card to make the nation’s economy safe and grow because with efficient national identity card, the economic system will run smoothly.

“Banking and mortgage in their general forms will benefit from centralised identity card data system.

“It is an easy way to eliminate bloated workforce and ghost workers, prevent possible escape routes from justice system by criminals and make it difficult for any individual to duplicate himself or herself.

“It will also eliminate the challenges inherent in our banking, morgage and even tax administration system so as to know who pays his tax diligently and who evades payments.

“Transactions of whatever forms will no longer be susceptible to doubts and fraud but be based on certainty once the identity of the person transacting business is no longer hidden.

“For us to have a modern, civilised, just and almost crime free society we need the centralised identity card system.

“Inviolability of the system will not make it difficult to duplicate the card and with this system safeguard, everything thing will be real and reliable.”

Aregbesola said with the capturing of data of the entire civil servants in the state, as well as various former and informer workers, the National Identity card Commission with have no problems in gathering data of the people in the state.

He however warned that the entire registration process should be insulated from partisan politics if it is intended to succeed.

He stated that if there is the human will, both by the Federal Government and the staff of the commission, the registration will ultimately succeed as the people and government of Osun will cooperate fully with the commission.

The governor called on the people of the state to come and register for the sake of safety and security.

In his response, the General Manager/Director of Operation Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mrs. Cecilia Yahaya, commended the governor for his assistance and support for the commission since its coming to Osun.

Yahaya disclosed that Osun ranks among 10 states with the highest registration figures since the commencement of the exercise.

She said Osun has done extremely well in assisting the commission to be functional.

“We are equipped to do our best in the registration exercise. There is effort to safeguard our system so as to make sure the exercise achieves its objectives.

“We must also not fail to appreciate the government of Osun for its assistance to the commission since it arrived in the state.

“We did not take all these gestures for granted as we appreciate all your government has done and is doing for the commission,” Yahaya said.