The Federal Government has said that a single identification management system will help the country combat insecurity, corruption and other societal vices.

To this end, the government said the unification of the National Identification Number (NIN), the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and other digital identity platforms, cannot be overemphasized.

The Minister of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Thursday, while speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said the unification will also help in adequately planning and equitable distribution of resources.

Tijani insisted that a unified digital identity system is the solution to the myriads of challenges confronting the country.

He spoke while addressing Directors of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) at an event tagged "Nigeria National Council of ICT Heads in MDAs" with the theme: "Transforming Public Service in Nigeria: The Role of the Technology Workforce".

Tijani said, a unified digital system will also help Nigeria, a seamless digital banking system free of fraud.

The Minister also stressed the need for data sharing among government parastatals, especially security agencies.

He expressed the optimism that Nigeria would achieve implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the next one year.

Tijani said, "We need to build one digital identity system, if it is going to be NIN, let it be NIN and that will be linked to the BVN, so when you are building your solution, your solution is driving identity for a single DPI.

"In serving people better we must use technology to make it easier for people to access the services that government provides.

"Sharing of data is not just about fraud, the matter of data sharing in government is about effectiveness, if we share data appropriately, say humanitarian ministry is able to truly understand the Nigerians that are poor and that are in need of resources and that way they can target their intervention to serve these people.

“If data is then shared seamlessly and appropriately we can know how many kids are in primary and secondary schools and if we need to provide interventions to support them it is a lot easier to support them.

"If we are sharing data appropriately we can even know how people are moving between States in Nigeria so that when you are to increase the capacity to support people we quickly can do that seamlessly.

"The power of data sharing is about enabling the different parts of government to function effectively because what you do in education affects what you do in health, what you do in transportation affects what you do in security, but if we don’t share that data each entity will be struggling to get information on the people they need to serve, that is why we are prioritizing that as a government.

"We have had great technologies, NIMC for instance, people are registering, we have telecommunication companies which means that tracking who is making what call, but the challenge that we have always have is that these things have been done in silos, they don't speak to one another and that is where data sharing comes in.

"If we build the system to ensure that the investment that we are making in different technological solutions is being done in a manner that these solutions are integrated, you will find that security becomes more easier to implement, you will find that health is more easier to deliver because we are seeing that data and that is what the president is pushing and that is why these group of directors are important.

“Once we align we can empower the government to be able to use technology appropriately and as such help Nigeria even though slightly better than what we want it to be.