Offa (Kwara), Dec. 4, 2024 – The Offa Community in Kwara State is planning to issue automated identity cards to its indigenes to boost planning and further development of the community.
The issuance of the identity cards is being planned in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and some financial institutions.
The project was initiated by Engr. Kola Balogun, an indigene, under the “Omo Offa ni mi” Project.
A statement issued by project committee in Offa on Wednesday, said the objective of the project was to create a digital platform for the “Offa Community Indigenisation Enrollment” which will also serve as a model for other local governments across Nigeria.
The platform will facilitate the registration, verification, and issuance of “OMO OFFA NI MI” identity cards for Offa indigenes, including those in the diaspora.
AVM Ganiyu Olabisi (rtd), the Chairman of the Project Committee, while briefing the Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Mohammed Gbadamosi on the project at his palace in Offa on Monday, said Offa Local Government would play a pivotal role in the execution of the project.
He said the project committee members were in the palace to brief the Kabiyesi about the project and seek his approval and assistance in getting all critical stakeholders on board in the implementation of the project.
According to him, all the required equipment, including the server to host the identification hub, are already on ground.
“This project is in collaboration with NIMC; the beauty of it is that this card is not only a means of identification, but will work like the banks’ ATM cards to do financial transactions.
“We are in talks with some banks for partnership in the area of collaboration and funding. Through this agreement, whenever the card is used for financial transactions certain percentage of the charges will be remitted to the community.
“This will make some funds readily available for specific developmental projects in the community.
“The project will also serve as a kind of demographic tool and credible data base that will allow the most effective and transparent implementation of all development projects toward our Offa mega city vision.
“Through its implementation, we will have the demography of the community – the total population of the people, how many are adults, children and the elderly – and also to align with global digitalisation in terms of e-governance.
“We also have our students in various colleges and institution seeking information about historical background of our community, instead of going to one elder for such, the platform will be of immense assistance with undistorted facts, information and figures,” he said.
The project chairman clarified that indigenes who are already on the NIMC platform are qualified automatically with only few additions to their already established bio data on the NIMC platform like compounds, professions, locations, age brackets, etc.
He said the committee came with a letter introducing the project formerly to the Kabiyesi and another one other requiring stakeholders’ endorsement to facilitate the project registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and its eventual take-off.
“The second letter is the Elite Concensus Agreement to be endorsed by stakeholders including Offa chiefs, ODA executive and other critical stakeholders signifying their support for the project.
“We must give credit to the initiator and prime mover of this project in person of Engr. Dr Kola Balogun, who has given his full support including the equipment we talked about.”
Responding, Oba Gbadamosi praised the project initiator and committee members for their foresight.
He described the project as laudable, beneficial and very essential in achieving the new Offa for the current and future generations.
The first class traditional ruler promised to expedite action on the endorsement letter for smooth and hitch- free takeoff of the project.
“We are very indebted to Engr. Kola Balogun, this is not his first; lately he distributed transformers to some areas in the community and also on this project, he has informed me also,” Kabiyesi said.
The committee members were later received at Offa Local Government Secretariat by the Vice-Chairman, Hon. Mrs Modupe Anibade Olawoyin and the Speaker, Hon. Mustapha Sharafadeen, on behalf of the council Chairman, Hon. Suleiman Olatunji, who was absent during the visit.
Olawoyin, in her response to the Committee Chairman’s remarks, expressed the council’s support for the project and promised to convey the committee’s message to the Chairman for action.
Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, AVM Olabisi (rtd), had requested for a space within the council Secretariat to accommodate the equipment for the project implementation.
“Aside, being the pivotal of this I.D card project, the council is also expected to provide a space either existing one or otherwise to host the equipment and personnel for the project,” he said.
The delegation also visited the One Innovation Hub, a technology training facility on the outskirts of the community, where members were shown round the facility by a member of the committee, Engr. Abdulfatai Kolawole Yusuf.
The equipment in the hub include the Print Circuit Board compartment of the Hub donated by Engr. Kola Balogun.
The Hub has also been chosen by the committee to play pivotal role in the planning and execution of the I.D card project.
Other members of the committee in the entourage included Engr Abdulfatai Kolawole Yusuf, Prof. Nazmat Surajudeen Bakinde, Secretary General “Omo Offa ni mI” project, Alhaji Usman Owolabi Danfodio and Engr. Akeem Garuba, Project Manager. (GBN)
