Nigeria can get rid of fraud, increase effectivity in public service and stem the scourge of insecurity by means of the usage of purposeful cell identification system, says Olatunji Durodola, founder and chief innovation officer of UrbanID World, a digital identification and know-how options firm. Durodola spoke with chosen know-how editors in a digital interview.
Q: What knowledgeable the selection of firm identify, UrbanID?
A: For a few years, I’ve had a knack for creating names that spring to thoughts, Musk Concepts, CommonIdentity, PocketIntelligence or PocketOne. UrbanID was an inspiration that got here to thoughts someday, and it caught.
You have been known as ‘Linux Prophet’ by a number one know-how journal again within the early 2000s. What’s your story within the Open Supply tech sector?
I’ve all the time had an curiosity and keenness about taking over massive gamers. Microsoft, Oracle, Novell – having to pay high greenback for licensing for productiveness. I decided someday “something one can do in Home windows, if it may possibly’t be finished in Linux, then it’s not value doing”. So, since 1999, I’ve been a passionate Linux advocate. Since August 2001, I’ve not used any Microsoft, Oracle or different proprietary product; but my productiveness and options provisions have solely elevated – decade to decade.
Your have been within the digital identification ecosystem for a very long time. What has been your involvement within the ID system trade?
Nigeria has had numerous points through the years with Id. Within the early 2000’s I turned concerned within the overhaul of the identification programs for a big property in Lagos. I reduce my chops in identification administration throughout that interval. In 2012, I used to be lucky to have been headhunted to take care of some points in Abuja, and that led me to boost my hand and supply to function programs integrator and technical advisor on the Nationwide Id Administration Fee (NIMC). A 3-month contract ultimately turned to 10 years. I’ve additionally been consulting for a couple of corporations in Europe, advising and giving keynotes on the state of affairs within the World South.
As a number one skilled within the digital identification ecosystem, contemplating the latest experiences of reported information breach in Nigeria’s nationwide identification sector, how may Nigeria have averted such breaches?
There must be a extra critical method to identification administration. While each firm is ready as much as flip a revenue and perform enterprise, enjoyable restrictions in order that corporations can make cash is a traditional recipe for bother. Every verification carried out on an individual’s identification must be recognized, from the pure particular person finishing up the transaction to the corporate for whom that pure particular person is appearing on their behalf, all the way in which to making sure that the ID holder is stored within the loop always. My identification is mine – not the federal government’s. So I reserve the proper to know the way my identification is utilised, by whom, when and the place. If I want to switch cash to a different particular person, even whether it is in two equal tranches, I have to authorise the transaction twice. The place corporations will not be constrained from doing “retailer and ahead”, whereby they maintain unlawful copies of a authorized request for information, it opens up vulnerabilities for such points. A lot may be finished, if we have now the desire to make it occur.
In view of belief and reliability points that arose when particular person information may very well be accessed with the authorization of the info proprietor, what’s the affect of information breach on a nation’s safety in addition to such a nation’s standing in information privateness globally?
Many previous programs had been designed with an idea of licensing verification entities (relying events) who’re issued entry rights to non-public data. A few of these events then construct their very own API infrastructure, with out the data of the ID holder, and information is then transmitted, typically with little or no encryption. Within the period of Knowledge Privateness focus designs, it has grow to be crucial to hunt and acquire the consent of the ID holder, every time. The nationwide identification quantity (NIN) is a static quantity; which signifies that if the NIN is what’s used to fetch data, then the ID Holder’s enter or consent turns into redundant and goes in opposition to the constructive international development for enhancing information privateness.
How would you fee Nigeria’s nationwide identification database vis-à-vis information safety and safety points given latest occasions within the nation?
Surprisingly, loads has been finished in a brief area of time. Nigeria is definitely within the forefront of enhancing consent and information privateness. We simply have to tidy up a couple of free ends. We’re presently, imagine it or not, the envy of some “developed” economies, who surprise how Nigeria may have give you a system that places the NIN holder first. We simply have to fine-tune some points, and we’ll set up nice relevance on this planet of identification administration and person consent.
How safe is the Nigeria digital identification database given the problems of ID authentication, consent administration and verification?
That could be a query actually for the Authorities to reply. Any response I give will not be a good one.
UrbanID is concerned in ID programs globally, however with key considerations for growing economies like Nigeria. What’s UrbanID’s concentrate on getting Nigeria to be topmost in information privateness as a benchmark for different nations?
It’s about time Nigeria takes the lead on a couple of constructive issues, particularly in know-how. What we have now been privileged to have helped Nigeria accomplish, together with Africa’s first MobileID ecosystem: final rely 23 million customers in addition to one of the superior Person Consent Techniques based mostly on Privateness by Design and Zero-knowledge proof applied sciences, with a wholesome dose of public key cryptography. There may be a lot extra work to be finished, to get our purposeful IDs to work seamlessly with the foundational one, guarantee strict one-person, one-identity compliance, and extra. Are we there but? No. Is Nigeria on the trail? Completely. Let’s not relent or roll again.
Your organization has a ardour for digitalisation as a key function for getting governments to optimise service supply, accountability and transparency. What’s your goal for getting Nigeria to key into this aim and implementing full digitalisation of governance?
Good query. The very first thing governments have to do, is concentrate on treating residents/authorized residents as clients whose wants come first. No setting or nation is ideal – there are all the time flaws and points. However the place we take customer support supply as paramount, and self final, a authorities can be so extremely praised, that even the place it has flaws, they are going to be neglected. Respect for residents’ considerations, rights and privileges are so essential, similar to gasoline for a automobile is. I additionally counsel that we undertake a system of rewarding public servants who prioritise resolving buyer’s wants. Nigeria shouldn’t be distinctive on this regard. We additionally advise quite a lot of different governments, and see to a various diploma interactions between most of the people and public servants. It’s very doable. The Nigerian authorities on the time of writing, is making nice strides and energy to attend to those considerations, and must be given an opportunity to erase any distrust of the previous.
Based mostly on statistics, transformational initiatives such because the Nationwide Id Scheme have a mean of 30% success fee in assembly their targets, globally. How will you fee the Nigerian journey up to now?
The journey of a thousand kilometres begins with step one (or flip of the wheel). Let’s stick with it. Successive governments ought to take up the baton from the previous one, and do higher, reasonably than merely discard what was working and substitute it. That’s like starting a race over again. The subsequent of us will are available in and repeat the method. I want the federal government properly. Let the method be led by them, not by the pursuits of distributors. I would come with myself on this. Simply talking as a Nigerian.
Know-how utilized in identification biometrics has developed considerably through the years from good card to digital ID Apps that may run on mobiles and block chain programs. In your opinion, how present is Nigeria on this space?
Know-how must be an enabler for simplifying use circumstances. While there’s undoubtedly a necessity for bodily identification tokens, the help infrastructure is fragile and really capital intensive. eID Playing cards and cost playing cards (popularly referred to as ATM Playing cards) could look alike, however their implementation, issuance and lifecycle are very completely different. Having designed Nigeria’s first eID Card again in 2012-13 and overseen the deployment of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to help it, I’m aware of the problems contained therein. The world (for good cause) is trending in direction of very safe MobileIDs and in rising circumstances, cell drivers’ licence specs (mDL), all with a view to utilizing know-how to realize a low whole price of possession, simplifying ID updates and options with out the necessity to changing bodily paperwork. I may give a myriad of examples, however I believe the purpose is evident.
For now, if Nigeria opts to return down the highway of bodily playing cards, I wouldn’t say it’s unsuitable. However merely discarding 23m issued and purposeful mobileIDs and safe paperwork in favour of identification smartCards, when each can run in parallel I personally assume shouldn’t be the way in which to go. I could also be unsuitable, however I doubt it. Time will inform.
Broadly talking along with your expertise on international ID programs, what must be the perfect system for an rising financial system like Nigeria?
There are worldwide requirements and greatest practices that it may possibly faucet in to. A hybrid of digital IDs and bodily playing cards with a correct public key infrastructure and card lifecycle administration system are vital applied sciences. Coaching and know-how switch are key to buyer companies.
With Nigeria’s inhabitants development fee at a mean 2.40%, how regarding is the nation’s identification administration system since enrolment of residents is an ongoing course of and big capital is required?
My brief reply: tighten enrolment programs, retrain enrolment employees, improve identification of enrolees to cut back possibilities of an individual acquiring a number of identities, and spend cash the place wanted. The remainder will kind itself out.
Whereas the financial institution verification quantity (BVN) appeared to have launched Nigeria into international reckoning with FinTech, will you take into account BVN an applicable software for Nationwide Social Register?
The BVN is a purposeful ID, designed for the fintech trade and has labored fairly properly till now. Extending the BVN nevertheless, past that sector, particularly to rival the NIN, is a recipe for bother. The NIN is a foundational ID, which in itself must be protected. It’s not meant to be shared willy-nilly below the umbrella of “Necessary Use of the NIN”. Likewise, for a nationwide social register, a purposeful ID must be created, which can be linked on to the NIN, however shouldn’t be the uncooked NIN and most definitely not the BVN.
Points in cost and entry to finance have been linked to poor nationwide identification system. To what extent will you take into account the brand new E-ID as the last word answer?
From the expertise of Nigeria and different international locations, bodily ID Playing cards alone will not be an answer. Actually not the place we have now restricted help infrastructure. I received’t say a lot on the subject. Time will inform.
What precisely is the distinction between the present digital ID System and the E-ID?
Digital ID programs make heavy use of Smartphones and applied sciences that don’t require bodily playing cards to deploy credible tokens for private identification. An excellent case is the US the place most states have bodily driver’s licences, however are actually being built-in into smartphones, adopting cell Driver’s licence requirements equivalent to ISO 18013-5. eID are typically Digital ID good playing cards containing a chip, and could also be contact, contactless or twin interface playing cards. The eID infrastructure is nice, if correctly deployed, very safe, however very, very capital intensive.
Insecurity nonetheless persists in Nigeria regardless of the enrolment and issuance of over 120m Nationwide Identification Numbers (NINs) by NIMC. Why do you assume it’s so troublesome to trace criminals despite advances in our identification administration system?
The reply is an easy one: interagency cooperation and collaboration. Each downside has an answer. If we’re prepared to unravel these challenges, it’s not onerous. There are international locations that hyperlink Healthcare, Banking, Property rental and buy, and a lot extra, to the foundational ID. If Nigeria needs to unravel the issue, it’s not idea that can resolve it. All arms on deck, collaborate between businesses with out one believing they’re superior to the opposite, and the answer will magically seem. However as long as turf safety exists, people inside and with out the nation will proceed to use our weaknesses.
There are clearly challenges in our system with a number of silos amassing information of Nigerians; what can be your professional suggestion in eliminating this follow and harmonising the assorted databases?
As talked about earlier, turf safety is our greatest problem. A key outtake of that is the silos you point out. The institution of an impartial authorities cloud, and an enabling setting the place stakeholder businesses contribute to its evolution, and we’ll get there.
You have got been lengthy sufficient within the system to know the way properly Nigeria is doing. How do you evaluate Nigeria’s Nationwide Id Administration System presently with that of different growing nations?
Over the previous 12 years, Nigeria has taken very daring steps. Again in November 2013, it issued one of the subtle eID Playing cards on this planet. Alas, Authorities help for the infrastructure was lacking, and ultimately, the ID company was not capable of keep the issuance bureau or buy a lot wanted excessive efficiency card printing machines. The issuance of playing cards without cost, was additionally a problem for corporations who had put in capability to personalise these playing cards. The sticky level was how they might be paid. So it will definitely died. Between 2020 and 2024, Nigeria led Africa with the issuance of MobileIDs, benefiting from the very enviable unfold of Smartphones within the Nation, and creating an enabling setting for his or her use. Alas, public consciousness was missing. That 23m MobileIDs have been even issued is a testomony to the facility of phrase of mouth. All these developments have been by 100% native expertise – and it labored! Accolades around the globe once more. But, it could appear the development is now to return to bodily playing cards. The World Financial institution had additionally suggested in opposition to the issuance of bodily playing cards, which have been to a big extent, additionally very reliant on international experience. Nigeria doesn’t produce parts nor the working programs they depend on. These international distributors with specialist abilities will present invoices to the federal government of their native foreign money (USD or euro). They need our cash, however not our foreign money. In different phrases, they need our Naira, however not in Naira. So the place the worth of the naira since 2012 has dropped from N160: $1 to N1700: $1, the remaining speaks for itself.
