LAGOS DECEMBER 9TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain and former Delta State Gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has appealed to the Federal Government  National Identity Number (NIN) the only means of identification.

The PDP strongman who described the obtaining of BVN and other means of identities by Nigerians as duplication of identities while responding to questions from journalists in Lagos,  argued that  the BVN covers only bank account owners and is a product of a regulatory policy outlined by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while NIN  is a mandatory requirement that all citizens and legal residents must possess in accordance with the NIMC Act of 2007.

He explained that it is better and probably more efficient to have one identity database that covers all Nigerians, rather than multiples of sectoral identity databases that may be a source of confusion, or even a loophole for fraud.

According to  Onuesoke, “BVN is a policy of a bank and has not been established by law. NIN is the only mandatory  identity number and the primary identification of our citizens and every other identifications are secondary”.

He maintained that the government could just as well have focused on getting Nigerians to obtain the NIN  means of identity  much earlier than banks dragooning millions of Nigerians to acquire the BVN, just as he described the exercise of obtaining other identities  as waste of funds, time, human resources and misplacement of priorities.

The former Delta Gubernatorial candidate   noted  that the information on individuals  sought by  government for registration several platforms such as the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), international passport, driver’s license, SIM card registration and voters’ card are in National Identification Number (NIN).

“In a country with almost nothing to offer, we have too many IDs that serve no beneficial purpose to the people. What is the essence of multiple identifications for the same purpose in Nigeria.. This is wasteful. You don’t even need an ID  in the United Kingdom. Your name is already there. Just tell them your name and address.

“Even African countries like Togo, South Africa, Ivory Coast use their ID card to vote. For Nigeria to work we need a single working ID card and NIN will be better for that purpose.

“I have been saying this. With the records from NIN, issues like underage voting could be easily tackled. The different  identities  mess  has created another problem. With the NIN, we can ensure single unit of identity which will be safer,”he advised.

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