A few days ago, I attempted to obtain a reprinted copy of my national identity card, which I could not trace but what I experienced was disturbing. I decided to share the ordeal with the hope that those concerned would do something urgently to redress to the plight of Nigerians. Initially, I had reported at one of the closest collection centres on obtaining relevant information on what it takes to get the national identity card reprinted but I could not complete the exercise because I needed to make an online payment and thereafter come along with the printout for further processing.
After making the online payment and returning to the same collection centre, it was practically impossible for me to gain entry as a result of the mammoth crowd of people, mostly students, waiting to obtain copies of the national identity cards for registration for examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), among others, which has now been made compulsory. According to the examining bodies, the policy was introduced mainly to curb impersonation and malpractices, which is well-intended.
As laudable as this idea may look like, the unnecessary burden placed on students to acquire the national identity cards before they can be registered for the examinations should be reconsidered. Back to the ordeal of the students, they thronged the collection centres in large numbers struggling to gain an entry into the premises of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). At the commission’s office that I went to, there was only one gate where the candidates were being screened before they were allowed to go inside the building.
Apart from the youths, I saw elderly persons probably trying to obtain the cards for their children and wards. I felt bad seeing such elderly people being maltreated inside the harsh weather condition. After watching the melee from afar, I eventually spotted two persons that were trying to penetrate the crowd to gain an entry, I sensed that they could be officials of NIMC and I quickly joined them in maneuvering ourselves inside the centre. After gaining entry, I saw another set of candidates seated without much attention given to them. When I got inside, I stood for almost one hour before I could be attended to while none of the students that I met seated was ever accorded any attention, despite their wailing in the stuffy room that they were crammed into.
As I was leaving the jam-packed office, I saw another group of students loitering around, looking confused, tired, exhausted and frustrated. Exiting the compound was another tug of war. Already, the small gate that served as the entry point had been almost blocked because of the huge crowd, while the second gate had to be opened for me to move out. By the time I got out, the number of students struggling to move inside had almost doubled under the intense heat and biting sun. I left the place sad and disappointed that fellow citizens would be subjected to unnecessary punishment; all in the name of obtaining a national identity card.
The suffering placed on the students can be attributed to poor logistics on the part of the authorities concerned. To begin with, why the sudden recognition and acceptability accorded the identity card? I remembered that about four years ago, when I first obtained mine, the identity card was never officially recognised as a means of identification in banks and other places. I had to ask some stakeholders then that what had gone wrong with our institutions that they should reject what is supposed to be valid means of identification, just like the international passport, driver’s licence and voter’s card. Peoples’ information should be harmonised into one main database.
Suddenly, the disposition changed and hence, the sudden prominence and rush for the acquisition of NIMC cards. If recognition had been accorded the identity card at its inception, the mad rush that we are seeing today would probably have been averted. This is our public service. To abate the continued punishment being meted out to innocent students, the activities of NIMC should be decentralised with immediate effect. More issuance centres should be opened across the country such that students would no longer be made to suffer for the deficiencies of our public administrators. Students should be allowed to obtain identity cards at the point of purchase of the forms. There is a need for public-private partnerships in tackling this problem.
The current challenge being experienced is not limited to NIMC, as most public institutions in Nigeria provide poor services, lack the discipline to accord customers due respect and value for their hard-resources. This ugly trend has also crept into the business sectors such as banks, insurance, and manufacturing industries where people are treated shabbily. It is rather unfortunate that relevant offices appear to have neglected the people when it comes to quality service. For now, the burden placed on students while obtaining national identity cards should be removed without further delay.
