The Federal Government (FG) has said Nigerian banks and other financial institutions can now issue debit cards that can double as national identity cards at no extra cost.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, made this known on Wednesday, during a press briefing following the valedictory Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja

With the latest development, Nigerians can now use their bank cards to withdraw money from Automatic Teller Machines, while it will also serve as their national identity cards.

“It is going to be a form of the multipurpose card where it will serve as your national identity card on one hand, and also your bank card on the other hand, either Mastercard, Visa or any other kind of card,” the minister said.

Pantami justified the decision of the FG by saying even though the NIMC Act of 2007, only mandates Nigerians to have a NIN and not necessarily a printout card, demands for cards have swelled.

“As in the NIMC Act of 2007, section 27, what is mandatory for our citizens and legal residents is the acquiring of the national identity number, not the card. However, the card is optional,” Pantami added.

“But many citizens, particularly those living in rural communities, always go to NIMC offices complaining that they need the card at hand, even though it’s optional.

“To make it easier, NIMC last year, we introduced a smart ID card you can download from the NIMC app. It is just a smart card. You don’t need to have it physically, but that is becoming difficult for our people living in rural communities.

“To ease the difficulty, NIMC has partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so citizens who are interested in having a card at hand can easily go to the relevant banks.

“The bank is permitted to print the card along with either a Mastercard or Visa card. It is going to be a form of a multipurpose card that will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other. And based on the agreement, it is without any additional costs to our citizens.

“So when you apply for a card at your bank, you can indicate that ‘I want this card to serve multiple purposes where it will serve as my bank card and also my national identity card’. Both of them are going to be printed on the same card and it is going to serve the same purposes without any additional costs.”

On how safe the process will be, the minister said NIMC and the CBN had signed an agreement to protect card applicants.

He went on to say the two entities signed a nondisclosure agreement where customers’ privacy and confidentiality must be respected in the course of providing the cards.

“When you apply for the card, the bank will apply online to NIMC through their database. When they verify and confirm that your record in the database is in alignment with your record in the NIMC database, it will be permitted and the card is going to be printed for you immediately,” Pantami further explained.