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National Identification: Police, FRSC Are Not Fair To Nigerians – Gbanite

A Strategic Security Consultant, Max Gbanite has expressed worries over the multiple registrations of Nigerians arising from the on-going drive for national identification and the … Continue reading National Identification: Police, FRSC Are Not Fair To Nigerians – Gbanite


A Strategic Security Consultant, Max Gbanite has expressed worries over the multiple registrations of Nigerians arising from the on-going drive for national identification and the need to harmonise all the biometrics data in order to protect the nation from security threats.

Speaking from the Abuja studio of Channels Television on the breakfast show ‘Sunrise Daily’, he noted that the issue of national identification is very pertinent in nation development when properly situated, but unfortunately like in other developing countries, it has been treated like a solution to all of Nigeria’s problems without proper understanding of how to even accommodate the biometrics.

This he said while questioning the necessity of different federal agencies requesting that Nigerians should register with them.

Also taking sides with the Nigerian masses on the monetization of the process, Mr. Gbanite queries why the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) would charge Nigerians N25,000 to have vehicle number plate renewed, or why a Nigerian should pay N8,000 to have his driver’s license renewed. He called on the Nigerian president to intervene and save Nigerians from what he described as overcharging, suggesting that the FRSC can do better by charging Nigerians a minimum fee of N3,000 for the drivers’ license and reducing the number plate fee as well.

He further stated that the Police under the constitution are not a revenue generating agency and as such the only right they have to keep biometric information is in the case of criminals. In his words “anyone that is unfortunate to go through the police system must be finger printed, photographed and that record becomes police record. Innocent Nigerians have no business going to the police to give a different identification or at worst paying for it.

That is tantamount to asking INEC to charge you for registering to vote”.

He added that the “National Identification Management Commission is the only agency authorised under the constitution of Nigeria to take biometrics or identity of Nigerians and should be the custodians of this information”.

He suggested having a central national biometric and identification housing centre that is legally backed and legislated to compel agencies like INEC, Road Safety, Pension Fund, even banks and everyone who has done biometrics in the country to forward same to this particular central unit.

He touched on many other issues like the danger of hackers, corruption, outsourcing data management to other countries, right of privacy for the Nigerian, National ID card, SIM card registration, coercion and many others.