Security: Lagos residents registration database to record additional 10m persons by end of 2022 — Sanwo-Olu
…Number to rise to 16.5 million, as Govt unveils multipurpose smart card
…Card to encompasse financial inclusion, socio-economic programmes, mobility, other advantages
By Moses Adeniyi
To deploy responsive architecture against security threats in the State, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has mentioned that the government is strengthing its intelligence structure by leveraging on technology initiatives to fortify the architecture of residents registration database for identification purposes.
On this, the Governor said the government is broadening its residents registration database for an elaborate coverage of Lagosians for security and tracking measures.
Sanwo-Olu who spoke at the official relaunch of the Lagos State Resident Card on Wednesday, held at the State Capital, Ikeja, said while the capturing record of residents into the state’s database stood at over 6.5 million, the government is ramping up efforts to scale up the database with additional 10 million residents by the end of 2022.
This, according to his figure, Nigerian NewsDirect observed would round up the number of residents captured under the state’s residents registration database to 16.5million Lagosians by the end of the year.
“The Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) is a laudable initiative introduced during the administration of his Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola, with the aim of building a reliable database of all residents in Lagos State, to enable effective and realistic planning, especially for the provision of social services and amenities.
“Since the commencement of this initiative in 2011, LASRRA has continued to make progress in delivering on its mandate, providing a unique identification number for every enrolled resident. So far, we have registered 6.5 million Lagosians on the database, and are looking to register another 10 million after today’s launch, and before the end of this year,” the Governor said.
The unveiling of the multipurpose smart card system, which is first of its kind in Africa, provides users with multi-functional services, cutting across transportation, health insurance, financial inclusion, grants, among others, for access to elaborate socio-economic coverage.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the relaunch of the residents card to boost technological parameters for multipurpose relevance was “particularly significant because it demonstrates our administration’s commitment to the Smart City vision, which seeks to integrate and embed cutting-edge technology into our daily lives and our daily interaction with government and public services.
“Today’s relaunch event is born out of the need to embrace change and align with global best practices. What we are doing is upgrading the Lagos State Residents Card from an ordinary plastic card, meant only for identification purposes, to a ‘Smart’, multi-purpose Card that combines biometric identification with other functionalities and benefits, that cuts across areas such as security, financial services, mobility and access to government services and amenities,” he said.
Reiterating the significance of the card system to security, Sanwo-Olu said as the nation’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos State experiences significant levels of inbound daily migration of people seeking economic opportunities and a better life, hence, the population, currently estimated at “over 22 million residents, is rising rapidly, with obvious implications for social services, social infrastructure, and for security.
“It has therefore become imperative for the State Government to re-examine strategies aimed at improving the security of lives and properties of the people of Lagos State. This ‘Smart’ Resident 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,” he said.
On the financial inclusion significance of the multipurpose card system, Sanwo-Olu said, “The new card comes with an electronic ‘wallet’ which can hold funds and be used for daily transactions, supporting the cashless agenda of the monetary authorities.”
He further added that the card system would boost robust access to government services.
“Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will be able to leverage on the database to validate residents for the purpose of delivering such services as Health Insurance, Pension Administration, School Allocation based on residential addresses, and many more social amenities,” he said.
Other value-added advantages of the card system, Sanwo-Olu noted include, among others, the ability to pay for Lagos State transportation services (through integration with the COWRY card), pay toll gate fees (through collaboration with LCC).
“The political will and commitment of this administration to ensure that we are delivering on our mandate effectively and efficiently has led to heavy and ongoing investment in Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, on multiple fronts,” he said.
He however, solicited for the cooperation of all residents “to register and acquire their Lagos State Resident Card, to enjoy the many benefits on offer.”
This, he said, would enable the administration to “more thoroughly and effectively plan and budget for the delivery of the dividends of democracy, against the backdrop of the state’s ever-growing population.”
He acknowledged the collaborative support and partnership of Sterling Bank Plc, which invested about N3 billion into the project.
“For us, this is a clear-cut testament of the good that can spring forth when public and private institutions collaborate for the collective good of the state,” he said.
Among other partners of the system include Interswitch/Verve, the scheme provider.
In her remarks, the Managing Director, Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), Engr. (Mrs) Ibilola Kasunmu, said the card system underscores the significance of the strategic place of Lagos as Nigeria’s economic hub.
According to her, the multipurpose smart card provides access to a number of services, security and identity advantages, providing residents with ability to carry out cashless transactions, health services, among other social-economic advantages.
She mentioned that the card, which is first of its kind in Africa, is relevant to get Lagosians in tune with the growing age of global technology, towards making Lagos a smart city, while providing for better living standards.
The Special Adviser to the Governor, on Innovation and Technology, Tubosun Alake, in his good will message, said the LASRRA card is not only a landmark system, but largely a beginning to catalyze the Lagos economy through a new paradigm.
According to him, the system is a critical component of the Smart City agenda essential to boost the economy and protect people’s identity.
“It is important that a state, as diverse and economic complex as Lagos, has its owns identity system to be able to plan the economy and deploy resources efficiently,” he said.
He mentioned that the identity system, tagged LASRRA 2.0, is a robust utilisation system to eliminate identity duplication and mismatch; enhance not only citizens security, but also storage utilisation efficiency which can connect different applications; among other socio-economic advantages.
He highlighted the benefits of the identity system to be significant for financial inclusion, health insurance system, grants from government, access to full bank programmes, access to education, transportation, economic planning, credible for building a robust economy.
“This is one of the foundation that a smart city would rely on,” he said, calling on Lagosians to support the system to drive economic value in the state.
The Managing Director, Sterling Bank, Mr. Abubakar Sulaiman, said the system remains important for financial inclusion, giving access to credit opportunities for citizens.
He assured residents possessing the smart card of access to credits from his bank.
