Kaduna State Governor El-Rufai Introduces Residency Card For All Residents In Kaduna

The Governor Nasir El-Rufai led government of Kaduna State on Wednesday formally announced the introduction of residency card for all its residents.

The government said the move was to enable it plan and provide social services.

Speaking on the initiative, the state’s Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Muhammad Abdullahi, said the development was crucial for planning purposes.

He spoke shortly after he was registered for the card at the North West Zonal Office of the National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC) in Kaduna.

He said: “Kaduna State Government is currently providing a number of free social services for the people in the state.

“But to achieve the desired impact, we need to have the accurate figure of those residing in the state. We need to know who and who resides in our state and where.

“When we know the number of people residing in the state and where they are, it will help us to plan and provide better services and for all residents. ’’

He said people would soon be required to present their residency card before they could access such services.

“Kaduna state is open for everyone due to its strategic location, geographically, economically and politically.

“But if you are going to stay in the state beyond 180 days, you would be required to register and obtain our residency card.

“This is very important not only in planning, but also in ensuring security. We gathered that most of the security issues we are having in the state are cause by people from other states,” he said.

The commissioner explained that the registration exercise was being carried out in partnership with NIMC and open to all residents of all ages.

He appealed to everyone to come out en mass and get registered in the more than 31 centres across the state.