Reports from NIMC’s (National Identity Management Commission) financial bid opening indicates that six local firms are involved in the race to produce the National eID Card.
However, NIMC has maintained that no local firm is qualified to produce the eID Card. NIMC is, however, making arrangement to hire a few of the firms and give them adequate training to ensure the eID Card production meets the appropriate global standards and specifications.
NIMC’s decision to appoint local firms is in accordance with the President’s Transformation Agenda, which focuses on creating employment opportunities to citizens, improving local technology transfer, building indigenous expertise and improving local production. NIMC’s step towards guiding the competent firms will ensure the firms procure essential technical expertise to improve local production of the eID Cards.
Speaking at the financial bid opening, NIMS’ General Manager, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said that the step taken in selecting local firms to manufacture the eID Card, is a strategy to help improve local firms competencies in accordance with the Commission’s objectives under the Card Scheme of the National Identity Management System (NIMS).
Mr. Abdullahi, who presided over the financial bid opening proceeding, explained that NIMS has been very supportive to ensure that NIMC achieves its goal in acquiring unique and hard-to-forge cards, owing to the fact that NIMS took over a year to design the cards.
He added that the firms should take the upcoming task seriously, so as to avoid slowing the pace of NIMS’ project.
