The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), AfriGO, and other stakeholders are set to roll out digital cards with multiple wallets to drive financial inclusion and improve Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The digital cards with multiple wallets, when unveiled, would allow Nigerians have access to government services in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, and also provide platforms for students to access government loans.

Nigerian farmers, who have already been captured under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), have embraced the digital cards for government services in areas of provision of Agric loans, seedlings and other inputs that would improve food production and security.

Addressing a press briefing at the weekend in Abuja, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the biometric NIMC-enabled cards had multiple features to address the socio-economic needs of Nigerians in line with the eight-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Coker-Odusote, who was flanked at the press conference by Managing Director/CEO of NIBSS, Mr. Premier Oiwoh; Managing Director/CEO of AfriGO, Mrs. Ebehije Momoh; and Managing Director of Data Mining Company, Mr. Femi Akande, said the stakeholders were brought together to explain the different benefits associated with the digital cards to Nigerians and the general impact it would have on the economy in line with Tinubu’s welfare drive using digital identity verification as a major platform.

The NIMC boss said the multiple purpose cards would be available to citizens, home and abroad, and legitimate residents who could use the cards for various transactions, especially payments of water and electricity bills, transportation services, and shopping, among others.

She explained that the card could be used off line and online to provide services for unbanked citizens in rural areas and bring on board those whose businesses required government support for survival, stating that with such opportunities, Nigerians would need no godfather to access government services and support.

Coker-Odusote said the digital cards, which come with various security features, could not be forged as the biometric information of owners were embedded in them, emphasising that they are made to address current needs of government to ensure that there are no ghost beneficiaries of government palliatives, loans and other benefits.

She assured Nigerians that the cards would turn around the nation’s economy by improving revenue generation and the country’s GDP as states governments and the private sector would be part and parcel of it.

Speaking on behalf of other stakeholders, the CEO of AfriGO, Mrs. Ebehije Momoh, said the launch of the cards would change the narrative for the country’s economy as it would ensure that the flow of money remained within the economy.

Momoh added, “The digital card is a domestic solution to drive financial inclusion and provide cost effectiveness and transparency within the systems. It would ensure data sovereignty and autonomy, and we all know that data is significant to improve our economy.”

She said, “This card will help reduce cost, especially dollar given to banks. Domestic payments are important to support welfare and social interventions services of government, so it will help drive cashless policy and ensure that our monies remain within the economy.

“We have about 26 banks already issuing the cards and it is hoped that more would come on board. Nigeria is the first country to come up with this innovation, and surely it would enhance micro-medium enterprises across the country. “

On the roll out plan, Momoh described the improved ID as phenomenal coming to revolutionise the Nigerian Identify System.

She said, “We are enabling the G2P ecosystem where different NDAs and even state governments are partnering with us and NIMC and other partners to issue this G2P card to the otherwise excluded and vulnerable segments of the population so that they can participate effectively.

“With this new card, the government can identify them and support them more efficiently.

“We are activating the national ID card to meet the needs of the middle and top who will require a bit more sophistication in terms of the card.”

She also stated, “And these are people who will make requests for it because they have a need for it and then we can provide them for them. We are also going to do virtual cards.

“These virtual cards are digital versions of the card which people can download into their smart devices. Those who don’t want to carry a physical card can download into their devices and continue to use them for their authentication, whatever they want to do with it.” (AriseNews TV)