Should FG replace Voters card with National Identity Card?

 

 
 Plans are on the way for a gradual phasing out of the voters card to be replaced by the National Identity Cards in future elections in the country. Minister of Information, Labaran Maku who disclosed this after the Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday revealed that the council also approved the sum of N2.1billion for the printing of 33.5 million Permanent Voters Card by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The minister said the permanent Voter’s card which will have a life span of ten years will contain unique biometric features that will identify the voter.
According to the Minister, “following the successful conduct of the Nationwide Voters registration in 2011, the commission proposed to print 73,500,000 permanent Voters cards to replace the temporary voters cards issued during the voters registration.
The commission printed 40,000,000 permanent cards in 2011 for the first phase of the project which is in progress. There is the need to print and issue the remaining 35.000,000 permanent Voters card.
“After deliberations, Council approved the contract for the second phase of the printing of Permanent Voters’s Cards at the rate of N65.00 per card in the sum of N2,117,500,000 with a completion period of 6 months” he said.
The minister explained that INEC estimates that the permanent Voters Cards will be used for elections in 2015 and 2019 after which the National Identity Cards would be the instrument for use in elections in the country.


What difference will it make?