On Tuesday, the Federal Government announced its plans to address the misuse of Nigerian identities abroad by implementing a unified citizenship database.
The initiative aims to enhance individual and corporate identity management and improve verification processes globally.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, disclosed these plans during the opening session of a three-day national training workshop on counter-terrorism financing.
The workshop was organized by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
Dr. Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the harmonization of the citizenship database would aid in verifying Nigerian identities worldwide, thus bolstering efforts against money laundering and terrorism financing both in Nigeria and the West African region.
In his remarks, Dr. Tunji-Ojo outlined the goals of the new system: “The identity of everybody in Nigeria must be seen. Identity fraud must be nil. It must be impossible for one person to be able to open different accounts or for one person to have an account in this name and have insurance in another name.”
He criticized the current system, highlighting issues such as individuals holding multiple identities across different countries: “The era when somebody carries a Nigerian passport with a name, that same Nigeria goes to Gambia and gets a passport with another name… That era should be gone.”
Dr. Tunji-Ojo further stressed the importance of regional collaboration in combating terrorism: “No country can fight terrorism on its own. We must come together.”
He also introduced the forthcoming “Centralized Citizens Integrity and Document Authentication System,” which will allow real-time verification of documents issued in Nigeria globally.
Mrs. Hafsat Bakari, Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), noted the significance of the workshop in advancing skills for tracing funds related to terrorism, stating, “Without funds and finances that enable their activities, terrorists and terrorist organizations would not be able to carry out the dastardly acts they do.”
Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director-General of GIABA, pledged continued support for West African countries in strengthening their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts.
GIABA, an institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), focuses on facilitating the adoption and implementation of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) strategies in the region.
