A leading advocacy organization in Nigeria, Grassroots Addressing and Identity Management Systems (G-AIMS), has urged the World Bank to make the adoption of Addressing and Identity Technology (AIT), as a pre-condition for the implementation of the newly approved $800m loan by the World Bank as subsidy palliative for Nigeria.
In a letter addressed to the World Bank Country Director in Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, Chairman/Founder of Grassroots Addressing and Identity Network Limited (GAIN), Barrister Bisi Adegbuyi, said it is imperative, that the implementation process be driven by a bespoke Addressing and Identity Technology to ensure transparency and confidence building.
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According to him, “one of the conditions precedents for the process to be transparent is that beneficiaries should be assigned duly validated digital addresses and means of identification. This will also engender a real-time feedback mechanism for transparency and accountability.”
Adegbuyi, a public administrator and a former Postmaster General of Nigeria/CEO of Nigerian Postal Service, noted that one of the major criticisms of Nigeria’s Social Intervention Programme (NSIP), enabled by World Bank’s $500 million International Development Association grant in 2016, was the alleged opaqueness of the National Social Register on poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
“Nigeria’s First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, raised an alarm in May 2019, alleging that the NSIP had failed “woefully” because the intervention did not reach the intended beneficiaries.
“There are many other credible criticisms all deriving from lack of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the scheme,” Adegbuyi said.
While welcoming news of the World Bank’s grant of $800m under what is now known as subsidy removal palliatives aimed at cushioning the impact of petrol subsidy removal among vulnerable Nigerians, the GAIN Chairman explained that the organization has developed and patented a state-of-the-art, ultra specific digital addressing and identity management systems with a cutting edge technology comparable to any world-class addressing and identity solution.
“Our Digital Addressing and Identity Verification systems software, which won the recognition of World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), an affiliate of International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) in 2018, can help to provide an end-to-end monitoring tool for the scheme, thereby enhancing its transparency and accountability,” he stressed.
Adegbuyi, who represented Ogun State at the 2014 National Conference, therefore urged the World Bank to make the adoption of this technology as a pre-condition for the implementation of the $800 million grant.
Below is the letter.
TheCountryDirector,
WorldBankNigeria,
102,YakubuGowonCrescent,
OppositeECOWASSecretariat,Garki,
Abuja,Nigeria.
Attention:Mr.ShubhamChaudhuri
DearSir,
IMPROVEDANDIMPACTFULDELIVERYFORWORLDBANK’SNATIONALSOCIALSAFETY
NETPROGRAM-SCALEUPINNIGERIA
1.WewritetointroducetoyouourGRASSROOTSADDRESSINGANDIDENTITY
NETWORKLIMITED,hereinaftersimplyreferredtoas“GAIN”.Wehavedeveloped
andpatentedastate-of-the-art,ultraspecificdigitaladdressingandidentity
managementsystemswithacuttingedgetechnologycomparabletoany
world-classaddressingandidentitysolution.
2.WewelcomethenewsofWorldBank’sgranttoNigeriathesumof$800m(eight
hundredmillionUnitedStatesdollars)underwhatisnowknownassubsidy
removalpalliativesaimedatcushioningtheimpactofpetrolsubsidyremoval
amongvulnerableNigerians
1
.
3.InlinewiththeWorldBank’sagendato“strengthenthenationalsafetynet
deliverysystem,”itisimperative,thattheprocessbedrivenbyabespoke
AddressingandIdentityTechnology(AIT),thisistoensuretransparencyand
confidencebuilding.Inotherwords,theintendedbeneficiariesarethevulnerable
Nigerians.Oneoftheconditionsprecedentfortheprocesstobetransparentis
thatbeneficiariesshouldbeassigneddulyvalidateddigitaladdressesandmeans
ofidentification.Thiswillalsoengenderareal-timefeedbackmechanismfor
transparencyandaccountability.
4.OneofthemajorcriticismsofNigeria’sSocialInterventionProgramme(NSIP),
enabledbyWorldBank’sUS$500m(FiveHundredMillionUnitedStatesDollars)
1https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projectsoperations/projectdetai/P176935.
nternationalDevelopmentAssociation(IDA)grantin2016,isthealleged
opaquenessoftheNationalSocialRegisteronpoorandvulnerableNigerians.A
topgovernmentofficial,wasquotedtohavesaidthatthebeneficiariesonthe
register“wereidentifiedbythecommunities.”
2Thiswebelieveisnotinlinewith
globalbestpractice.
5.Nigeria’sFirstLady,HajiaAishaBuhari,raisedanalarminMay2019,allegingthat
theNSIPhadfailed“woefully”becausetheinterventiondidnotreachthe
intendedbeneficiaries.
3Therearemanyothercrediblecriticisms
4
,allderiving
fromlackoftransparencyandaccountabilityintheimplementationofthe
scheme.
6.OurDigitalAddressingandIdentityVerificationsystemssoftware,whichwonthe
recognitionofWorldSummitonInformationSociety(WSIS),anaffiliateof
InternationalTelecommunicationsUnion,aspecializedagencyoftheUnited
Nations(UN)in2018,canhelptoprovideanend-to-endmonitoringtoolforthe
scheme,therebyenhancingitstransparencyandaccountability.
7.OurprayerisfortheWorldBanktomaketheadoptionofthistechnologyasa
pre-conditionfortheimplementationofthenewlyapprovedWorldBank
US$800m(EightHundredMillionUnitedStatesDollars)IDAg
