The move by the Lagos State Government to generate a comprehensive database of all persons residing in the State has moved a notch higher, with the launch of an upgraded and chip-embedded smart residency card by the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), on Wednesday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu personally unveiled the smart residency card at launching events held simultaneously across five locations in the State. The locations include Ikeja, Lagos Island, Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe.
The new card offered a transition from an ordinary plastic card, meant only for identification purposes, to a smart, multi-purpose ID that combines biometric identification with other benefits, such as security, financial services, transportation and access to government services and amenities.
Lagos started enrollment of its residents for residency registration in 2011 to create a reliable database to enable effective and realistic planning by the State Government, especially for the provision of social services and amenities. Already, 6.5 million residents had been enrolled on the database by LASRRA, with the State witnessing four-fold increment in registration in the last three years.
With the launch of digitised card format, Sanwo-Olu said the State Government would be targeting to capture 10 million residents on the database before the end of the year.
This new residency ID, according to LASRRA, is a multipurpose smart card with 28 applets that make the provision of 28 services possible to the cardholders.
The Governor said: “Today’s relaunch is borne out of the need to embrace change and align with global best practices. We have upgraded the residency card from an ordinary plastic card, for identification purposes only, 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.
“Lagos experiences significant levels of daily inbound migration of people seeking economic opportunities and a better life. As a result, our population is rising rapidly, with obvious implications for social services, social infrastructure, and for security. It has become imperative for the State Government to re-examine strategies aimed at improving the security of lives and properties of the people.
“This smart residency card being launched today will help us to address the issues surrounding the identification and traceability of Lagos residents, and ultimately help inform the Government’s planning and provision of services designed to secure lives and property. The card comes with an electronic wallet, which can hold funds and be used for daily transactions to support the cashless agenda of the monetary authorities.”
Sanwo-Olu said new visitors in Lagos who planned to live in the State for more than two consecutive months were now required to register for the residency card.
The Governor said Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would be leveraging the database to validate residents for the purpose of delivering essential services, including health insurance, pension administration, school allocation based on residential addresses, and other necessary social amenities.
Sanwo-Olu solicited for the cooperation of all residents to register and acquire the card in order to enjoy the benefits on offer, and to enable the Government to plan effectively and allocate budget for the delivery of good governance against the backdrop of the State’s growing population.
“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,” the Governor said.
The high point was the symbolic presentation of the smart residency cards to the Governor and residents freshly registered by LASRRA.
