NIMC Card Bureau Facility Gets MasterCard GVCP Recertified

The Card personalization bureau of the issuing authority for identity, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has again been recertified under the Global Vendors Certification Programme (GVCP) by MasterCard, following a recent security audit.

The security audit on the NIMC’s bureau facility was aimed at checking the commission’s compliance with the set down standard for operation.

Speaking on the recertification, Mr. Zach Anucha, Information Security Auditor for NCC Group, Manchester Technology Centre, said “We came to re-audit the NIMC Card bureau facilities, to ensure that the Commission is abiding by the set standards for opeartions as recommended during the last audit exercise which held in July 2014; the good news is that I saw a lot of visible progress on the NIMC facilities.

“It is safe to say that NIMC has made a significant improvement and has done better than in 2014. The Commission has clearly made a lot of visible improvements on the set down standards and is operating at a better level.

“It is a learning process and NIMC is doing very well. However, although NIMC is clearly determined to make improvements, I will advise that you do not slack and continue to live up to expectations. Basically, the audit shows that much work has been done, but NIMC has to improve on some of those things that were pointed out.”

Anucha gave the report of his findings at a meeting which held at the NIMC headquarters recently, to officially brief the top management and technical staff of NIMC.

He also commended the staff of NIMC for their resilience. “No doubt, identity management is a serious business hence it is imperative for all hands to continually be on deck to ensure the credibility and safety of data that goes into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

Barrister Chris Onyemenam, director general/CEO, NIMC, in his remarks thanked the NCC Group, and assured that NIMC is determined to ensure that the facility remains first-class.

The commission, as established by Act No. 23 of 2007, has the mandate to foster the orderly development of an identity sector, register persons covered by the act, assign a unique National Identification Number, (NIN) and issue Electronic Identity Cards to those registered individuals, harmonize and integrate existing identification database in Nigeria for verification and authentication purposes.