₦airaland Forum

Now that the National Electronic
Identity ( e-ID) Card has been
formally launched, a lot of questions
are being asked, which need to be
cleared up. If anyone has any doubt
as to the authenticity and accuracy
of what is contained below, they
should kindly back up their claims with
real facts and proof so as not to
mislead the General Public. Firstly, the
new National e-ID Card issued by the
National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC) is primarily a
National Identity Card with a
SmartCard built-in, containing
provision for up to 13 applets, of
which 5 are activated when an
applicant picks up his/her Card.
Fact: Access to National Database by
MasterCard or other foreign
companies/Governments
The National Identity Database is not
open to inspection by ANY party, home
or abroad. There is absolutely no
provision for any foreign Government
or body to access the database.
MasterCard is providing functionality
for 1 of the 5 applets, just as you
have with your ATM Cards. No one
complains that your name is on the
ATM card, or that that information
may be held in America. The concern
here is biometric data and other
demographic information such as next
of Kin and so on. MasterCard DOES
NOT HAVE and WILL NEVER have
access to such information.
Any suggestion that MasterCard,
Visa, or any other foreign body will
gain access to the database is pure
fiction not backed up with evidence.
This is NOT the same as verification
services, which is where an Embassy
may request to verify a person's
National Identification Number (NIN)
to ascertain that the person
requesting a visa is the genuine
article. It is done all over the world,
and the provision for NIN on the Visa
application forms for many countries
such as UK, US and even Schenghen
states, was not introduced because
of Nigeria's NIN.
Fact: Applets
The applets active when you pick up
your card may include:
1. Match-on-Card
This is where a secure terminal
matches a specific fingerprint
against that locked away on The Card.
Too many attempts, and the applet is
blocked for security reasons. That
way, an agency or concerned body can
be sure that the person presenting
the Card is the true owner. It is no
different than what is currently done
with your International Passport.
2. ICAO
The National Identity Card is also a
travel document and conforms to the
same standards (ICAO 9303 Rev 2) as
International Passports and National
Identity Cards of other nations which
have TD1 functionality built in. It is
hoped that the document will be used
for ECOWAS travel (without the need
for a Passport), as the applet
CANNOT be forged. NIMC has its own
Document Signer (DS), on behalf of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So we
are not sending certificates requests
(CSRs) outside Nigeria to be signed
for this applet.
3. Payment
In the first phase, MasterCard is
offering payment functionality for
the Card. There is a firewall between
this applet and all the other applets so
not even a POS terminal can access
the secure data protected by EAC2 on
certain parts of the Card. As stated
earlier, the National Database is NOT
the business of MasterCard and never
will be. Later on, we will have Visa and
Verve Cards as alternatives to
MasterCard. MasterCard will only be
available on the first 13 million Cards.
This applet is OPTIONAL. If you do not
wish to use the payment applet, simply
decline to activate it during
collection.
4. e-ID
This is the MAIN applet. The electronic
ID applet, which contains some of the
information submitted during
enrolment. Other information such as
address are also available on the Card
but protected by higher levels of
access control called EAC2. The NIN is
also locked away in EAC2 protection.
Most information is NOT available on
the Card, such as next of Kin,
parentage and so on. These are only
available in the National Identity
Database (NIDB).
5. e-PKI
This applet contains strong
certificates which allow for document
signing, non-repudiation, encryption
and so on. NIMC has conformed to
International Best Practices to
provide this applet. The Non-
repudiation simply means that where
a person has digitally signed a
document with his/her Card using the
e-PKI applet, the person CANNOT turn
around tomorrow and say “I didn't
sign this document, it's a forgery”.
For this to occur, aside from the
applet, other security measures have
been put in place to ensure that
indeed, a person won't be able to deny
his/her document signature.
Fact: Verification Services
Any embassy wishing to participate in
verification services in the near
future will need to go through a very
stringent and rigorous approval
process. NIMC will then offer a 1-to-
many service, meaning that a NIN is
supplied via a secure channel to
NIMC's verification platform and then
a lookup is done against the National
Database.
Fact: Comparison with other
documents
The National e-ID Card is a means of
Identification. It does NOT confer
citizenship to anyone, Nigerian or
otherwise. Legal residents are fully
entitled to the e-ID Card. So it is
misleading to compare the Card to the
American Green Card (which is NOT
issued to American Citizens), the U.S.
Social Security Card or the British
National Insurance Card. Neither of
these countries has a National
Identity Card.
It is also unfair and inaccurate to
compare the National Identity Card
to the Nigerian International
Passport as the latter is PURELY a
travel document, whilst the former
has travel functionality built in, which
conforms to the SAME rigorous
standards as any e-Passport (ICAO
9303 part 2). The certifications and
tests that NIMC has passed are
available online for anyone to verify.
The Federal Government has also
stated that after the next General
Elections in 2015, the 2019 election will
require the National e-ID Card issued
by NIMC to vote. Incidentally, a
Voter's applet (or function) is also on
the card and the data is 100% isolated
by very strong firewalls and
encryption from all the other
functions.
Fact: Data Protection
NIMC is the custodian of the National
Identity Database and we would be
contravening so many national
security laws if it EVER handed
access to the National Database to a
local company or organisation, talk
less of a foreign one. Nigeria is a
sovereign nation. There is no nation
on earth that can dictate to the
Federal Government of Nigeria about
how to manage the database of its
citizens and legal residents.
The Department of State Security
(DSS) has scrutinised NIMC and can
attest that The Commission has put
all kinds of processes and security
measures in place to avoid such
breaches of National Security.
NIMC has also passed ISO 27001:2005
Certification. For those in the know,
this is reviewed every year by external
auditors and if certification is not
renewed, then NIMC cannot continue
to serve in its capacity as the legal
custodian of the National Database.
Period.
Fact: Public Key Infrastructure
NIMC has even gone as far as
implementing its own PKI
Infrastructure, which means that
Digital Certificates and Keys issued
for each individual are not sent
offshore for signing, but are signed
internally at NIMC HQ, as Nigeria now
has its own Registration Authority
(RA) and Country Signing Certificate
of Authority (CSCA) as well as a host
of other PKI systems thereby
negating the need to depend on a
foreign Government to sign our
certificates. Nigeria has its own OID
(for those who know what that
means) and we had to apply through
the Standards Organisation of
Nigeria (SON) and the ITU. Which
means that Nigeria's RA is recognised
by ICAO worldwide, making our Card a
globally-acceptable Identity Card
which conforms to International
Standards.
Fact: Strong encryption
If there is one thing NIMC has done
very well, and can be proudly and
loudly mentioned, it is in the area of
strong encryption.
As mentioned earlier, NIMC has had to
undergo a lot of stringent processes
and procedures to comply with and
follow International Best Practices
as they relate to Information
Security.
Likewise, the chip embedded on the
Card body (actually a computer with
memory, processor and logic) has a
plethora of International Standards
which it can boast of. Just to ensure
that the information provided by
Nigerians (and legal residents) are
not open of casual or even
unauthorised inspection.
Fact: Suggested Possible Shutdown of
NIMC Infrastructure by MasterCard
or U.S Government?
In the unlikely event that Nigeria has
problems with the US Government
similar to the issue with Russia, the
only part of the entire Card that can
cease to function is the payment
applet. This applet is only 1 or 13 on
the Card. It has ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING to do with the ePKI, eID,
MoC, Tax, Voter, Travel, Health or
other applets. If in future Verve
chooses to come on board, then even
that will be a major plus.
It is NOT a glorified payment Card,
but a National Identity Card offering
a myriad of functions of which, one is
payment.

nice post but can you do dat magic called SUMMARY

...

Have dey start distributg?

Forget facts....When will the cards be available?!

my question is, is it advisable to register with one of those outlets stationed at some places especially in Lagos state, Or just go to their office?

holatin:
nice post but can you do dat magic called SUMMARY

tanx bro

SmartHanif:
Have dey start distributg?

the one in available nw is the temporary id card, this is usually issued after one's enrolment and bio metric capture. If you've nt done yours jst log on to www.penrol.nimc.gov.ng reg now coz it is closing this month end. Fill the form online after you might have reg on the site, then you will have to print a barcode. Note do nt fold the barcode printout, jst take it to there nearest office, before this year runs out. I will give the list of there offices nationwide very soon.

Oluwadare:
my question is, is it advisable to register with one of those outlets stationed at some places especially in Lagos state, Or just go to their office?

to safe your self from fraudsters you sud reg online youself it can even be done on a mobile phone den you will go to a cafe and print out your barcode.

STEPS TO REGISTERING NATIONAL ID CARD WITHOUT STRESS, EVEN WITH A MOBILE PHONE.

1. Log on to penrol.nimc.gov.ng
2. Creat an account: an email will be required for this, if you dnt ve one go and get.
3. Fill an online form after you account most have being created successfully.
4. After you must have filled the online form, please make sure you fill it with a capital letter all through so it wont give you problem.

Olamitisoji:
the one in available nw is the temporary id card, this is usually issued after one's enrolment and bio metric capture. If you've nt done yours jst log on to www.penrol.nimc.gov.ng reg now coz it is closing this month end. Fill the form online after you might have reg on the site, then you will have to print a barcode. Note do nt fold the barcode printout, jst take it to there nearest office, before this year runs out. I will give the list of there offices nationwide very soon.

The website link you posted is not working.

www.penrol.nimc.gov.ng

when will they start the distribution of the cards?

Frankenstein:
The website link you posted is not working.

www.penrol.nimc.gov.ng

yh try this bro penrol.nimc.gov.ng its working, try it without the www.

anex4real:
when will they start the distribution of the cards?

the distribution is to start january 2015, if plans go as the FG wants.

5. You will have to print out a barcode in which you must not for so that you details cant be seen in this office when you take it there for you biometric capture.
6. After the biometric capture a temporary national id card will be given to you, trust me the id card looks very funny to me cos it is large.

FEEL FREE TO ASK MORE QUESTION, BUT I DNT THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANY MORE TO ASK COS HAVE EXPLAINED THE IMPORTANT ONES.

There are Registration Centers in all the 36
NIMC State offices in the capital of each
State and FCT and with time, there will also
be centers in all the 774 Local Government
offices nationwide. There are also plans to
establish additional registration centers
and mobile registration centers in strategic
locations for easy access to enrolment.
Location of NIMC State Offices/
Registration Centers:
*Abia Plot P3, Government Station Layout,
Umuahia, Abia State
*Adamawa Opposite The Scope Newspaper,
Behind Federal Secretariat Complex, Yola,
Adamawa State
*Akwa Ibom Federal Secretariat, Abak
Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
*Anambra 6 Ndukonwu Street, Off Zik
Avenue, Near State C.I.D., Amawbia, Awka,
Anambra State
*Bauchi 3 Abdulkadir Ahmed Close, Behind
CBN Zonal Office, Bauchi, Bauchi State
*Bayelsa Eketi Layout, Opposite Osiri Hotel,
Yenagoa
*Benue Jonah Jang Crescent, Beside Federal
Secretariat, Makurdi
*Borno Near International Airport
Junction, Jos Road, Maiduguri
*Cross River Murtala Muhammed Highway,
near Calabar City Gate, Calabar
*Delta Federal Secretariat Complex,
Okpanan Road, Asaba
*Ebonyi 21 Emefor Street, Ntezi-Aba,
Abakaliki
*Edo 1 National Identity Card Road, Off
Isekhure Way, Sapele Road, Benin
*Ekiti 15 Olora Street, Federal Housing
Complex Road, Adebayo, Ado-Ekiti
*Enugu Emene Industrial Area, By Enugu-
Abakaliki Expressway, Prado Junction,
Enugu
*Federal Capital Territory
Industrial Training Fund Building,
Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II,
Abuja
*Gombe Federal Low-Cost Housing Estate,
By Police Out-Post, Gombe
*Imo Port Harcourt Road, New Owerri
*Jigawa Room 411, 3rd Floor, Federal
Secretariat Complex, Sani Abacha Road,
Dutse
*Kaduna Federal Secretariat, Kawo,
Kaduna
*Kano TAL-UDU, Federal College of
Education Junction, By Gwarzo Road, Kano
*Katsina Federal Secretariat Complex, Kano
Road, Katsina
*Kebbi 26 Ahmadu Bello Way, Near Bindawa
Commercial Center, Birnin-Kebbi
*Kogi Plot 18, Lokongoma Phase 1, Along
Kabba-Okene Road, By FRSC, Lokoja
*Kwara Opposit Dangote Flour Mills, ASA
DAM Road, Beside Kwara State House of
Assembly, Ilorin
*Lagos Plot 1, Obafemi Awolowo Way,
Opposite Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja - Lagos
*Nasarawa Shendam Road, Near Federal
Ministry of Justice, Lafia
*Niger Mamman Kontagora Road, Along
Federal Secretariat Complex Road, Minna
*Ogun Federal Secretariat Complex, Oke-
Masan, Abeokuta
*Ondo Igbatoro Road, Near Federal
Scretariat, Akure
*Osun Biket Junction Area, New Ikirun
Road, Osogbo
*Oyo Beside Adegoke House, Iyana Express,
New Garage, Ibadan
*Plateau Lamingo Dam Road, Opposite
Human Right Commission, Katton Rikkos,
Jos
*Rivers 238, Aba Road, Port Harcourt
*Sokoto Old Airport, Gusau Road, Sokoto
*Taraba Plot 12, Road "E", GRA Extension,
Jalingo
*Yobe Federal Secretariat, Along Gahua
Road, Damaturu
*Zamfara Kantin Daji Area, Opposite Gusau
Motor Park, Gusau.

Olamitisoji:
yh try this bro penrol.nimc.gov.ng its working, try it without the www.

Thanks. It worked.

Olamitisoji:
to safe your self from fraudsters you sud reg online youself it can even be done on a mobile phone den you will go to a cafe and print out your barcode.

thank you oja re. Btw, must I take the barcode to their office before the year runs out?. Because i never new when i'd have the opportunity of going there for now.

The National ID Card Registration ends this december pls hurry and register oh, cos i dnt think there would be extention on the registration.

Olamitisoji:
the one in available nw is the temporary id card, this is usually issued after one's enrolment and bio metric capture. If you've nt done yours jst log on to www.penrol.nimc.gov.ng reg now coz it is closing this month end. Fill the form online after you might have reg on the site, then you will have to print a barcode. Note do nt fold the barcode printout, jst take it to there nearest office, before this year runs out. I will give the list of there offices nationwide very soon.

Thank U sir, I really aprcte.

Is it available now? I was told that if it arrives I will receive an email to pick up mine but am yet to receive any email.

eke419:
Is it available now? I was told that if it arrives I will receive an email to pick up mine but am yet to receive any email.

nah it isn't out yet you will be contacted when it is out.

Thanks

I got information from NIMC's blog as well:
http://nimcnigeria..com

Hope the process ends well.