Nigeria: Lagos introduces new residents’ card, used for payment services, loan applications, others

The Lagos State Government has announced the introduction of a new resident card with multipurpose functions for residents.

The new card which is replacing the old identity card, has more embedded features and functions that will enable the cardholders enjoy and have access to faster and better services.

This was made known by the General Manager of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), Engr. (Mrs.) Ibilola Kasunmu, known during a 2-day workshop organised for media personnel at its Office in Ikeja, Lagos.

Kasunmu explained that the new card has 28 applets for different services including but not limited to applications for loan applications to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), payment for services across multiple vendors including BRT buses, Ferry Services and Banks’ Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs).

Other purposes and features of the new resident card

The LASRRA boss in her statement said, “The card also serves as a means of personal security and identity verification at points of procuring government services, in addition to the resident cardholder being able to use it for services such as processing of driver’s licence and filing of tax returns among others.’’

Kasunmu, in a passionate appeal, asked residents to pre-enrol on www.lagosresidents.gov.ng after which they will go to the nearest Registration Station located across the State with Proof of Address and Identity for Biometric Capturing.

She also assured that the registration is seamless, free and does not require any form of stress, urging those that registered before 2019 and those who have changed their names and addresses to validate their information on the website.

She explained, “The old identity card was made of plastic and very limited in functionality. So, holders of the old card need to upgrade because the lifespan of the card has been changed from 10 years to five years. This is to allow for flexibility to onboard more features and expand usability because of fast-changing technology trends.’’

The General Manager in her projection stated that at least 6 million Lagos residents would access the new card by the end of 2022.

Going further, she said, “The impact of technology on the global identification landscape includes making it cheaper and easier to identify people accurately, as well as access services quicker. With the Lagos ID Card, our children can have easy access to educational services from primary to secondary schools in the State.

“My appeal to all Lagos residents is that we should all maximise this opportunity to enable us to get access to faster and better services from the State Government.’’

What you should know

• Recall that the Lagos State Government had earlier in July 2021, disclosed its plans to roll out the New Lagos Identity Card, “LAG ID” for residents of the State.
• The government said that the card which is renewable every 5 years contains a chip that has multipurpose uses and can be accepted anywhere in the world.