On Tuesday, the NOI polls released its latest weekly poll results which was aimed at finding out the perspective of different Nigerians on the new scheme and it’s processes. The results of the poll showed that eight out of ten Nigerians were in support of the new national identification card scheme.

Participants in the poll were asked five questions:

1. Are you aware of the proposed new National Identification card scheme in Nigeria?

Results showed that less than 42 percent of the participants were aware of the new scheme. The other 58 percent claimed that they were not.

Based on geo-political zones, the results showed that the South-South zone had the highest percentage of Nigerians aware of the scheme with 53 percent. The North-West zone had the highest percentage of Nigerians who were not aware of the scheme with 68 percent.

2. At present, do you have/have you ever been issued a national ID card?

62 percent of the participants indicated that they had been issued national ID cards previously while 38 percent indicated that they had not.

The results based on geo-political zones showed that the South-South zone, with 73 percent, had the highest percentage of participants who currently had ID cards. The South-East zone was the second highest with 68 percent and the North-West with 65 percent. The North-Central zone, with 50 percent, marked the highest number of participants, who claimed that they did not have national ID cards.

3. What is your perception regarding the processes involved in obtaining a national ID card?

48 percent of the participants reported that they had experienced different levels of difficulty during the process: 22 percent claimed that they found the process “somewhat difficult” while 26 percent said they found the process “very difficult”.

45 percent of the participants reported different levels of ease on the process: 21 percent claimed that they found the process “somewhat easy” while 24 percent claimed the process was “very easy”. 7 percent of the participants stated that they were neutral as they claimed that they found the process “neither easy nor difficult”.

Results based on geo-political zones showed that the North-East zone, with 57 percent, had they highest percentage of participants who found the process “very difficult”. The South-West zone, marked the highest percentage of participants who found the process “very easy”.

4. Do you think the proposed new national ID card scheme is a priority in Nigeria now?

80 percent of the participants expressed support for the scheme and stated that they believed it was a priority to the country. 20 percent of the participants said that they did not support the scheme and that it was not a priority for the country.

Results based on geo-poloitical zones showed that showed that The North-East zone, with 92 percent, had the highest number of persons who believed that the scheme was a priority to Nigeria. The second highest was the South-East zone with 91 percent. The South-West zone, with 40 percent, had the highest number of participants who believed that the new ID card scheme was not a priority to Nigeria.

5. In your opinion, what benefits do you think the proposed new National ID card will bring to Nigerian?

60 percent of the participants stated that the main benefit of the new ID cards was that it served as a means of identification for citizens “especially for banking and international purposes”. 15 percent of the participants claimed that they did not know/ had no idea. 11 percent stated that it would “help in security, safety and crime checks”. 8 percent claimed it was of “no benefit and not necessary”.

Results based on geopolitical zones showed that the North-East zone marked the highest number of participants who stated that the new ID cards would serve as a means of identifying citizens.

The conduction of this poll followed the recent partnership between the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and MasterCard Incorporated, to create new national ID create entity cards in Nigeria. The Federal Government, had earlier on, approved of creation of new national Identity Cards in Nigeria.

Reports state the new ID cards would include the MasterCard’s prepaid payment technology and boost the effectiveness of the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The new national ID card would also serve as a means of electronic payment in the country, thereby creating a more convenient and reliable method of making electronic payments through National Identification Numbers unique to their registered owners.

In May 2013, the NIMC and MasterCard produced 13 million MasterCard-branded National Identity Smart Cards with electronic payment capability. The challenges associated with obtaining National Identification cards in the past have caused many to receive this new scheme with suspicion. Some persons are optimistic about the possibilities in the new scheme while others believe it would be another waste of funds like the previous schemes.

The NOI polls stated that following the results, it was important for the NIMC to make the process of obtaining the national ID cards easier for Nigerians.

“Considering the large Nigerian population (currently estimated population at 174 million), great consideration has to be made in setting up facilities and procedures for the scheme, in order to improve the efficiency and make the process comparatively easy. Finally, the National ID Card Management Commission (NIMC) needs to engage on more public awareness campaigns on the new ID card scheme and the benefits of registering to obtain an ID card, particularly its implications for security, immigration and financial inclusion”.