Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday relaunched the Lagos State Resident card to drive the state’s smart city vision.
In his address at the relaunch of the Lagos State resident card held at the Police College grounds, Ikeja, Lagos , Governor Sanwo-Olu said the move has demonstrated his administration’s commitment to the smart city vision, which seeks to integrate and embed cutting edge technology into the daily lives and interaction with government and public services.
He said, ‘’The Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) is a laudable initiative introduced during the administration of His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola, with the aim of building a reliable database of all residents in Lagos State, to enable effective and realistic planning, especially for the provision of social services and amenities.
‘’Since the commencement of this initiative in 2011, LASRRA has continued to make progress in delivering on its mandate, providing a unique identification number for every enrolled resident. So far, we have registered six million, five hundred thousand (6,500,000) Lagosians on the database, and are looking to register another ten million (10,000,000) after today’s launch, and before the end of this year.
‘’Today’s relaunch event is borne out of the need to embrace change and align with global best practices. What we are doing is upgrading the Lagos State Residents Card from an ordinary plastic card, meant only for identification purposes, to a ‘Smart’, multi-purpose Card that combines biometric identification with other functionalities and benefits, that cuts across areas such as security, financial services, mobility and access to government services and amenities.’’
The governor explained that as the nation’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos State experiences significant levels of inbound daily migration of people seeking economic opportunities and a better life.
‘’ As a result, our population, currently estimated at over 22 million residents, is rising rapidly, with obvious implications for social services, social infrastructure, and for security.
‘’It has therefore become imperative for the State government to re-examine strategies aimed at improving the security of lives and properties of the people of Lagos State.
‘’This ‘Smart’ Resident Card will help address the issues surrounding the identification and traceability of Lagos residents, and ultimately help inform Government’s planning and provision of services designed to secure lives and property.’’
On its financial inclusion importance, the governor added that the new card comes with an electronic ‘wallet’ which can hold funds and be used for daily transactions, supporting the cashless agenda of the monetary authorities.
He said the new card guarantees access to government services saying, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will be able to leverage on the database to validate residents for the purpose of delivering such services as Health Insurance, Pension Administration, School Allocation based on residential addresses, and many more social amenities.
‘’These include the ability to pay for Lagos State transportation services (through integration with the COWRY card), pay toll gate fees (through collaboration with LCC), and so on.”
‘’The political will and commitment of this administration to ensure that we are delivering on our mandate effectively and efficiently has led to heavy and ongoing investment in Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, on multiple fronts.
‘’Let me now use this opportunity to solicit the cooperation of all residents to register and acquire their Lagos State Resident Card, to enjoy the many benefits on offer, and to enable us more thoroughly and effectively plan and budget for the delivery of the dividends of democracy, against the backdrop of our ever-growing population.
‘’I am proud to note that this is a Smart Card befitting the leading megacity in Africa, and it is also the first Smart Residents Card of its kind in all of West Africa.’’
Governor Sanwo-Olu who acknowledged the collaborative support and partnership of Sterling Bank Plc, said the bank has invested N3 Billion into the project.
‘’For us, this is a clear-cut testament of the good that can spring forth when public and private institutions collaborate for the collective good of the state. I also appreciate the support of Interswitch/Verve, the scheme provider, and their back end technical and operational support partners, who have provided the platform upon which the financial services aspect of the card resides.
He commended the LASRRA team for ensuring the actualisation of the new and improved chapter in the implementation of the LASRRA vision, charging them to redouble their efforts until every eligible resident of state is registered in the database.
