Security, identity and utility wired into one smart card — that is a short and precise definition of the new Lagos State identity card for residents of the megapolis, which Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu unveiled on July 21.
A long-time initiative of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), the once-upon-a-time plastic card meant only for identification has been upgraded into a smart card for multiple purposes, among which is citizen security and comfort — and the upgrade held simultaneously on Lagos Island, Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe.
The features of the new card are basic identification linked to the carrier’s biometrics; and an electronic wallet in which funds can be stored for e-shopping and sundry transactions to aid the cashless economy that the government is promoting.
The carrier’s biometrics have serious implications for crime and security, since the holder is electronically tagged and can be traced should there be any suspicion of crime. This is a key security and safety imperative in a city-state with a thumping population soaring by the hour.
But the chip in the smart card also allows every holder access to government services: pension administration, health insurance, school allocation linked to residential addresses so that a child is not posted to a school too far from his or her neighbourhood, and sundry other social amenities.
The card’s wallet can also be integrated into the cowry card for toll payments on roads run by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) and also for e-fare in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses.
Governor Sanwo-Olu declared at the unveiling: “This ‘smart’ card will help address the issues surrounding the identification and traceability of Lagos residents, and ultimately help inform government’s planning and provision of services designed to secure lives and property.”
That is a core security function. But the planning potentials of the smart card could be immense, other things being equal. The governor told his audience that the registration card would make planning more thorough and budgeting more effective. That should make it easier to deliver the proverbial “dividends of democracy” in an opportunity centre where population balloons by the day, swollen by Nigerians from all over the country flocking to Lagos for jobs and other economic opportunities.
The governor further revealed: “Already 6.5million residents have been enrolled on the database by LASRA, with the state witnessing four-fold increment in registration in the last three years.” That appears a piece of good news, particularly as the state government has set its sight on capturing no fewer than 10 million residents before the end of this year.
This innovation is well and truly revolutionary, particularly in the modern way of linking citizens to governmental system, which may make planning more pin-point and budgets more accurate. If well driven, it could hallmark a shift for the better in Nigeria’s often shambolic planning.
The government should publicize the citizen benefits in the card, particularly access to amenities and health insurance, and placing kids in schools nearest to their homes. If these benefits are drummed up enough, the citizen response could be immense.
Also, the success and acceptability of the card could provide the government with great potentials to draw players in the huge informal sector into the tax register. If the card aids better planning, which delivers better on amenities, that should not be a hard sell. In fact, that nexus could help to boost taxation, since citizens know they would get value for every kobo of taxation. It is therefore an innovation other states may want to emulate.
Still, a key success factor is to ensure that the “wallet”, embedded in the card’s chip, is secure and as fraud-proof as possible. It would be a pity if this otherwise promising tool is undone by shrieks of thieves hacking into card holders’ cash.