The Senate on Wednesday passed the National Identity Management Commission Repeal and Enactment Bill 2025, which seeks to repeal the commission and streamline the country’s identity verification standards.
Senate Majority leader, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele of Ekiti State, presented the motion for rescission, re-committal, and passage of the bill at plenary.
He said that the National Assembly observed some fundamental issues which required fresh legislative action on the bill after its initial passage, adding that the technical committee of the Senate, House of Representatives, and the Directorate of Legal Services met and worked on the bill.
According to him, the Senate, relying on its order 1b and 52 b of its standing orders, accordingly, resolved to rescind its decision on the bill as passed and re-committed it to the Senate for consideration.
After a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill at the Committee of the Whole, the bill was passed.
President of Senate, Mr Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks thanked lawmakers and other critical stakeholders for their inputs on the bill.
He expressed his believe that President Bola Tinubu would singe the bill into law when it is transmitted.
When passed into law, the act will lead to more streamlined registration process, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and increase the reliability of the Nigerian ID system.
It will also fortify the foundation framework of the commission and its operations by expanding the scope of registrable persons, which will benefit the country by strengthening national security, facilitate efficient service delivery, and promote financial inclusion.
Also crucial is the safeguarding of Nigerians personal data and streamlining the sharing of personal data to foster trust among citizens about the handling of their information.