To deliberate on the recent presidential directive on the harmonisation of biometric databases and data collection activities in the country, the Director General and senior management staff of the National Identity Management Commission has, on Monday 24th of August 2015, paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman and management of the National Population Commission at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Barr. Onyemenam, DG/CEO NIMC, thanked the Chairman NPopC, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, SAN, for receiving him and referred to the recent call by president Muhammadu Buhari for agencies and departments concerned with the collection and storage of the various biometric databases and ongoing data collection exercises in the country as the primary reason for the visit. Barr. Onyemenam, while giving the Chairman a background of previous efforts at National Identity Management in Nigeria leading to the establishment of the NIMC in 2007, stressed the distinctions between the roles of the National Identity Management and the National Population Commission. He identified the areas where the activities of both Commissions converge, which he said led to the inclusion of a representative of the National Population Commission on the board of the NIMC. He also gave a historical background into previous attempts by NIMC and the National Population Commission to further broaden their collaboration in the past.

In his response, Chairman of the NpopC, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, SAN, thanked the NIMC team for taking the initiative to reach out for such a timely visit. He said “the issue of NPopC – NIMC collaboration has been a topical issue within our Commission. This matter was in the front burner in our deliberations during our meeting of two weeks ago and I actually set up a committee to commence preparatory works in this respect”.

He enumerated the mandates of the National Population Commission which he said is clearly spelt out in Section 24 of the 3rd schedule of the 1999 constitution, this includes among others, to undertake periodic enumeration of population through sample surveys and census and to establish and maintain a machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths throughout the federation. He further stated that NPopC is proposing a Biometric based census in 2016 that will link demographics with biometric particulars of all residents.

As a way forward to the collaborations, Chief Duruiheoma proposed the setting up of an Inter-Agency committee to midwife the NPopC – NIMC collaboration matters within a defined timeline.

While reacting to the Chairman NPopC’s remarks, Barr. Chris Onyemenam informed him that NIMC already had in place a Harmonisation Committee comprising of representatives of the various Ministeries, Departments, Agencies and Security formations concerned with citizens data collection and usage, the committee meets regularly and has made several headways in the area of harmonisation with NIMC’s infrastructure. He suggested that the NPopC could look into the mandate and objectives of the Harmonisation Committee and see where it meets with their own objectives, in the interest of national planning and in line with President Buhari’s directive.

The meeting ended with both Commissions expressing the willingness to look into the issues raised and engaging further in the coming days.