FG move to harmonize citizenship database to combat fraudulent activities abroad

The Federal Government has expressed concern over the rising number of foreigners posing as Nigerians abroad, tarnishing the country’s reputation.

In response, the government is set to harmonize the national citizenship database for better identity management.

Speaking at a counter-terrorism financing workshop organized by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, emphasized that the initiative would enhance identity verification of Nigerians globally.

The minister said: “There are two things I think we must get right. The number one thing we must get right is what I call individual and corporate identity management. 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.

“We must make sure that if you are James Kelly any where, you are James Kelly everywhere. We must be able to understand corporate identity, corporate companies, entities, different people.

“It is very important. Not until we are able to get that, that we will be able to be ahead and be able to forecast trends. If you cannot forecast trends, if you cannot project, if you cannot be able to predict, believe me, you will always be reactive.

“The era somebody carries a Nigerian passport with a name, that same Nigerian goes to Gambia and gets a passport with another name; he opens an account in Nigeria with a name, he opens an account in another country with another name should be gone.

“That is what ECOWAS, that is what AU is meant for. Let’s call a spade a spade. We arrested somebody some months ago. The case is in court. The person came into Nigeria with a Nigerian passport with a name and when she wanted to leave, her British passport carried another name.

”Yes, that is what happened, because the database, the passport biometric database of Nigeria is not being shared with any other world.

“So, you can claim to be anybody anywhere else in the world and carry two different passports of two different countries with different names. And that’s what I tell people.

“I am convinced that majority of the people giving Nigeria a bad name in diaspora are not Nigerians, they only carry Nigerian identity and that is something we must solve. So, individual and corporate identity management solutions is very, very key.

“We must be able to harmonize that, at least at regional level. That is the number one because no country can fight terrorism on its own. We must come together. It has gone beyond a single domain. It is now a regional thing.”

Continuing, the minister assured that Nigeria would be the first country to launch what he called centralized citizens integrity and document authentication system.

“Anything issued in Nigeria, anywhere in the world, real time, we will harmonize the database and verify it everywhere in the world. We will do that; we are on the verge of completing that.

“I tell people, the biggest gift of my life is my citizenship of this great country and I will not allow anybody to brand me with an identity that is not mine.

“We are not fantastically corrupt. We are fantastically intelligent, brilliant, hardworking people. But in a scenario where you do not provide the opportunity for authentication real time, you will be subject to guesswork.

“When your identity and your integrity are subjected to guesses, then you should know that abuse will become inevitable. So, we are doing that very soon,” he added.

In her remarks, the Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, Mrs. Hafsat Bakari, said the workshop provided a unique opportunity for analysts, investigators and prosecutors to enhance their knowledge and improve their techniques in tracing licit and illicit funds channeled to financing terrorism and building strong cases against the financiers of terrorism.

“Without funds and finances that enable their activities, terrorists and terrorist organisations would not be able to carry out the dastardly acts they do. Funds, supplies and other material assistance are, therefore, central to terrorists’ ability to operate and that is why this workshop by GIABA is critical,” she stated.

On his part, the Director-General of GIABA, Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., in his address, said the organization would continue to support countries in the West Africa to strengthen their capacity to fight money laundering and terrorism financing.

GIABA is a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, responsible for facilitating the adoption and implementation of Anti-Money Laundering, AML, and Counter-Financing of Terrorism, CFT, strategies in West Africa.