Kogi State Governor, Capt Idris Wada, has urged residents of the state to participate in the national identity card exercise of the Federal Government.

The Governor, who made the call in the Lugard House, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, said that the programme was significant for governance, national security and planning.

The representative of the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC),  Hajia Hadiza Ali Dagabana and management of the Commission were in  Lokoja to create an awareness on the need for every citizen in the state to register with the commission so as to obtain an identification number, which would help the Federal Government in planning.

The NIMC delegates met with some top government officials in the executive chamber of the Government House in Lokoja to brief the Governor on what the commission was all about.

The Director, Inspection and Regulatory Compliance, Hajia Hadiza Dagabana, explained that the Commission had the mandate to own, operate, maintain and manage the National Identification database in Nigeria.

She stressed further that the ongoing National Identification exercise was not time based and would remain open to enable the commission render, enumerate and perform other related services. She urged all citizens of the state to cooperate with the Federal Government by ensuring that they get registered.

To demonstrate the State Government’s commitment, the State Governor, Capt Idris Wada, proceeded to carry out his registration, which was supervised by members of the commission. An identification number was immediately issued to him.

Experts believe that one of the reasons for insecurity in Nigeria could be the porosity of the country’s borders, which allows aliens in and out without proper identification or documentation and that if every citizens in the country was fully registered, insecurity would be minimized.

The Federal Government has made it mandatory for all Nigerians to register and obtain a registration number for easy identification.