The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that Nigerians will need to pay for the newly introduced multipurpose national identity cards due to limited government revenue.

Peter Iwegbu, head of card management services at NIMC, disclosed this during a two-day press conference in Lagos on Thursday.

He explained that the payment model aims to ensure that only those who genuinely need the cards will apply for them, avoiding the inefficiencies of past initiatives where physical cards were issued for free but largely uncollected.

Iwegbu emphasized that introducing a paid model would streamline production and distribution, ensuring better management of resources.

The new multipurpose ID cards are expected to serve various functions, including identification, financial transactions, and accessing government services.

Iwegbu said, “Before we stopped due to funding, we produced more than two million cards but a lot of them are still in our office, people were not able to pick them up because they didn’t need it.”

Aside from low collection, Iwegbu said the government could not fund the production of ID cards due to limited revenue.

“The government’s limited revenue is also a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card,” he added.

He said NIMC is also working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request the card.

Also speaking, Lanre Yusuf, director of information technology at NIMC, said the idea of a free national ID card did not turn out well in the past.

Yusuf described the new ID card as a post-paid identity card, which means that individuals must need the card before initiating a request for it.

The director said, “To get the new national ID card, Nigerians will need to make a payment, select a pickup location, and then collect their card from the chosen location.

“The government has implemented programmes to make the card accessible to the less privileged Nigerians who cannot afford it but require it to access government support.

“This initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to inclusivity and equality.”

Yusuf also said the multipurpose ID cards are expected to launch soon, with sample test cards already received.

“The new national ID card is a multipurpose card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services,” he said.