BARRIERS TO THE INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN NIGERIA’S ID SYSTEM: FINDINGS AND SOLUTIONS FROM AN IN-DEPTH QUALITATIVE STUDY © 2021 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some Rights Reserved This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. 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Contents Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Importance of Addressing Gender Gaps and Exclusion in ID Systems.............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Questions and Methodology...................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Approach and Organizational Framework................................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 2: NIGERIAN CONTEXT.................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Coverage Gaps in Nigeria’s National ID System....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Gender Inequality and Other Axes of Marginalization in Nigeria.........................................................................................................7 2.3 Intersectional Identities and Social Norms ..............................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 3: AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES.............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Overall Awareness of the National ID.........................................................................................................................................................13 3.1.1 Awareness and knowledge of uses of the national ID...........................................................................................................13 3.1.2 Understanding of eligibility criteria for national ID registration............................................................................................ 17 3.1.3 Knowledge of registration center location.................................................................................................................................19 3.1.4 Knowledge of required supporting documents........................................................................................................................19 3.1.5 Awareness of processes to replace a lost National Identity Number (NIN) slip or national ID....................................21 3.1.6 Child marriage and indigeneity as eligibility criteria in the North.......................................................................................22 3.1.7 Attitudes toward the importance of registration for marginalized groups........................................................................24 3.2 Attitudes toward Data Sharing ..................................................................................................................................................................25 3.2.1 Overall attitudes toward data sharing........................................................................................................................................25 3.2.2 Hesitation regarding specific questions among IDPs and respondents in the North..................................................27 3.2.3 Attitudes toward women sharing biometric and other information...................................................................................28 3.3 Gender Differences in Value of ID for Men versus Women................................................................................................................29 3.3.1 Reasons why women need to register for the national ID....................................................................................................30 3.3.2 Reasons why men need to register for the national ID more than women.....................................................................32 3.3.3 Reasons for why both men and women equally need to register for the national ID...................................................33 3.4 Preference for Different IDs.........................................................................................................................................................................34 Co n ten ts i CHAPTER 4: BARRIERS TO REGISTRATION............................................................................................................................... 38 4.1 Preregistration..................................................................................................................................................................................................38 4.1.1 Permission and women’s mobility outside the home.............................................................................................................38 4.1.2 Transport and logistics....................................................................................................................................................................44 4.1.3 Time: Juggling household and childcare responsibilities.....................................................................................................46 4.1.4 Compounding barriers faced by women and marginalized groups................................................................................... 47 4.2 At the Registration Center...........................................................................................................................................................................49 4.2.1 Long wait times in poor facilities..................................................................................................................................................49 4.2.2 Registration staff behavior............................................................................................................................................................52 4.2.3 Informal payments and bribery....................................................................................................................................................54 4.2.4 Lack of supporting documents....................................................................................................................................................56 4.2.5 Issues capturing biometrics...........................................................................................................................................................57 4.2.6 Compounding barriers faced by women and marginalized groups..................................................................................58 4.3 After Registration ...........................................................................................................................................................................................59 4.3.1 Multiple visits required to receive a NIN slip and an ID card...............................................................................................59 CHAPTER 5: PARTICIPANTS’ PROPOSED SOLUTIONS..........................................................................................................62 5.1 Preregistration.................................................................................................................................................................................................62 5.1.1 Increasing registration rates for the national ID through awareness raising...................................................................62 5.1.2 Motivating people to enroll ........................................................................................................................................................... 71 5.1.3 Ensuring women and girls have permission to enroll............................................................................................................76 5.1.4 Bringing registration closer to communities.............................................................................................................................79 5.2 At the Registration Center............................................................................................................................................................................86 5.2.1 Increasing staffing and working hours at existing centers....................................................................................................86 5.2.2 Relaxing supporting document requirements..........................................................................................................................86 5.2.3 Improving the experience at enrollment points......................................................................................................................89 5.2.4 Removing informal fees and bribery..........................................................................................................................................93 5.3 After Registration ...........................................................................................................................................................................................94 5.3.1 Speeding NIN issuance and credential delivery.....................................................................................................................94 CHAPTER 6: RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................................................................. 97 ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 Annex 1: Data and Methods........................................................................................................................................................... 102 Annex 2: About the Nigeria ID Project....................................................................................................................................... 109 BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED ii G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Tables Table 1. Summary of current and future enrollment requirements............................................................................................................. 6 Table 2. Spreading awareness through word of mouth..............................................................................................................................63 Table 3. Locations to reach people through word of mouth ....................................................................................................................64 Table 4. Services which would motivate people to enroll for the ID....................................................................................................... 73 Table 5. Services which would motivate women to enroll for the ID......................................................................................................75 Table 6. Bringing enrollment closer to communities lifts barriers for marginalized groups...............................................................81 Table 7. Positive and negative perspectives on collaboration with private sector and NGOs.........................................................84 Table 8. Priority registration for vulnerable ....................................................................................................................................................91 Table 9. Recommendations................................................................................................................................................................................97 Table 10. Qualitative data collection sites..................................................................................................................................................... 104 Table 11. Zones, states, and LGAs selected for FGDs with special groups.......................................................................................... 105 Table 12. FGDs by state, urban/rural location, and number of participants—general population.................................................. 105 Table 13. FGDs and KIIs by state and type of special group.................................................................................................................... 106 Table 14. Complete sample characteristics.................................................................................................................................................. 108 Figures Figure 1. Compounding barriers of gender inequality and exclusion........................................................................................................ 3 Figure 2. Organizational framework................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3. Services for which ID is needed according to participants.......................................................................................................14 Figure 4. Do men or women need the ID card more? By region and gender of survey respondent.............................................29 Figure 5. Perspectives on why women, men, or both need IDs...............................................................................................................30 Figure 6. Women’s interconnected barriers to accessing ID.....................................................................................................................38 Figure 7. Compounding barriers for persons with disabilities..................................................................................................................58 Figure 8. Compounding barriers for women and girls................................................................................................................................59 Figure 9. Women’s barriers addressed by bringing enrollment closer to the community.................................................................82 Figure 10. Distribution of FGD participants by state................................................................................................................................... 107 Figure 11. Sex distribution of FGD participants by state............................................................................................................................ 107 Ta bles iii About ID4D The World Bank Group’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative uses global knowledge and expertise across sectors to help countries realize the transformational potential of digital identification systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It operates across the World Bank Group with global practices and units working on digital development, social protection, health, nancial inclusion, governance, gender, and legal, among others. The mission of ID4D is for all people to be able to access services and exercise their rights, enabled by inclusive and trusted digital identification systems. ID4D makes this happen through its three pillars of work: ƒƒ Thought leadership and analytics to generate evidence and ll knowledge gaps; ƒƒ Global platforms and convening to amplify good practices, collaborate and raise awareness; and ƒƒ Country and regional engagement to provide nancial and technical assistance for the implementation of robust, inclusive, and responsible digital identification systems that are integrated with civil registration. The work of ID4D is made possible through support from the World Bank Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK government, the French government, the Australian government, and Omidyar Network. To find out more about ID4D, visit id4d.worldbank.org. To participate in the conversation on social media, use the hashtag #ID4D. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED iv G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Acknowledgments This report was authored by Lucia Hanmer, Victoria Esquivel-Korsiak, and Rohini P. Pande, with contributions and research assistance from Arjola Limani and Allan Bomuhangi, as part of the Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative, the World Bank Group’s cross-sectoral effort to support progress toward identification systems using twenty- first century solutions. This report benefited greatly from the reviews and inputs of multiple World Bank staff, including Julia Clark, Rosa Maria Martinez, Anna Metz, and Kathleen Beagle, under the supervision of Vyjayanti Desai (ID4D) and Caren Grown (Gender Group), as well as Alan Gelb and Anit Mukherjee of the Center for Global Development (CGD) The findings in the report are based on the research, consultations, and detailed assessments during 2019 and 2020. As a result, the information presented here represents the time when the report was written and may not reflect recent developments. The research team is grateful to the Oxford Policy Management Nigeria team, including Femi Adegoke, Ekundayo Arogundade, Gloria Olisenekwu, Terdoo Akinyemi, and Morenike Oni for data collection, coding, and other inputs. The report would not have been possible without the support of the National Identity Management Commission in Nigeria. Ac k nowledgmen ts v 1 INTRODUCTION Photo Credit: © World Bank CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1.1 Importance of Addressing Gender Gaps and Exclusion in ID Systems An estimated 1 billion people around the world do not have an officially recognized means of identification (ID). The majority live in low-income countries (LICs), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Women and the poor are less likely to have an ID than other people: the 2017 Global Findex survey found that 44 percent of adult women in LICs do not have an ID compared to 28 percent of adult men.1 Due to its foundational role in ensuring access to rights and services, “providing legal identity for all” is an explicit target (SDG 16.9) under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and an enabler of many other SDGs, such as SDG 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere).2 This study contributes to an overarching goal of building global knowledge about increasing women’s and marginalized groups’ access to and use of IDs to promote development. There is little systematic evidence about the causes of gender gaps or the exclusion of particular groups from possession of government-recognized IDs. The study aims to analyze gaps in access to the national ID issued by Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and provide evidence-based advice to policy makers on how to lift the constraints that create high barriers for women and marginalized groups. Most immediately, our results provide an evidence base that can help Nigeria’s NIMC achieve its goal of issuing IDs to the majority of Nigerians. The information generated by the study can be used in the following ways: ƒƒ To identify particular social groups or regions where registration incentives are especially low for women and key marginalized groups. ƒƒ To inform the design of communication campaigns targeting different social groups to provide relevant information to women and men, respectively, about the national ID and the individual benefits accruing from having a recognized ID. ƒƒ To design implementation approaches to ID enrollment that can increase coverage of women, girls, and marginalized groups. ƒƒ To increase global knowledge of gender gaps and exclusion of marginalized groups in ID possession and their drivers, and inform diagnostic work in Nigeria and other countries. 1 Metz, Anna, and Clark, Julia. 2019. Global ID Coverage, Barriers, and Use by the Numbers: An In-Depth Look at the 2017 ID4D- Findex Survey (English). Identification for Development. Washington, DC: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/ en/727021583506631652/Global-ID-Coverage-Barriers-and-Use-by-the-Numbers-An-In-Depth-Look-at-the-2017-ID4D-Findex-Survey. Large gaps also exist for other groups (poor/rich, urban/rural, across ethnic groups); for example, 45 percent of the poorest 20 percent of the population (vs. 28 percent of the richest 20 percent) lack a proof of identity. 2 Dahan, Mariana, and Gelb, Alan Harold. 2015. The role of identification in the post-2015 development agenda (English). Washington, DC: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/526991467999986369/The-role-of-identification-in-the-post-2015-development- agenda; Dahan, Mariana, and Hanmer, Lucia. 2015. The Identification for Development Agenda: Its Potential for Empowering Women and Girls. World Bank, Washington, DC. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22795; Hanmer, Lucia, and Elefante, Marina. 2016.  The Role of Identification in Ending Child Marriage. World Bank, Washington, DC. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/25184. Chapt e r 1: Intro ductio n 1 1.2 Research Questions and Methodology To understand barriers to identification that disproportionately impact women and marginalized groups, this study sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the level of awareness and knowledge about the Nigerian national ID and how does it differ among men and women, and marginalized groups? 2. What are the key barriers to accessing IDs faced by women and marginalized groups? 3. Where do these barriers lie: In the household? Community? Governmental institutions? Other institutions? 4. How do sociocultural, economic, and political variations within the country affect the strength of these barriers or create different barriers? 5. How do intersectional identities (e.g., race, religion, citizenship, gender, marital status, group status, disability, and so on) exacerbate or attenuate disadvantages for some groups relative to others in obtaining IDs? 6. What are some potential actions that can be taken to address these barriers and increase the ownership and use of official IDs among women, girls, and marginalized groups? Primary qualitative data collected from men and women using focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) are used in the analysis. A total of 194 FGDs and 102 KIIs were held in rural and urban areas throughout 12 states, covering all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical regions. In total 1,527 people (50 percent female) joined FGDs. Two states were selected in each zone and 3 local government areas (LGAs) were selected in each state (36 LGAs total). The 12 states sampled under the study were Abia, Ebonyi, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Ogun, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, and Kebbi. Criteria for state selection were: a high gender gap in ID enrollment (based on NIMC registration data); security considerations; and the presence of LGAs with easily reached NIMC enrollment centers as well as LGAs, which required travelling longer distances to enrollment centers. FGDs were also grouped by age, with men and women under age 25 labeled “younger” and those over age 25 labeled “older” in this report’s analysis. KIIs and FGDs used discussion guides specifically designed for this study and its participants. KIIs were conducted with different types of local- and state-level leaders. FGD participants were grouped by gender and age group to provide an environment which was most conducive to participatory discussions and which accurately captures differences in views between men and women. Additional FGDs were also held with special groups such as pastoralists, internally displaced people (IDPs), and persons with disabilities (e.g., blindness, leprosy). All FGDs included a structured “persona” exercise wherein the FGD moderator guided participants in creating a “persona” that mirrored the main characteristics and circumstances of women from that community. Since this study sought to understand gender differences in awareness about and access to IDs, the persona created was always female, but with other characteristics of the participating group such as age, occupation typical to the community, marital status and number of children, disability status, displacement status, and so on. The persona was assumed to go through the process of registering for an NIMC ID, and questions were asked about the type of barriers and obstacles she might encounter in that process, and how these might best be addressed. In addition, the FGD guide asked respondents whether they had heard about the NIMC ID; whether they or anyone they knew had attempted to register for the ID; their level of awareness about the uses, eligibility, registration processes, and requirements; and their suggestions on how ID registration could be made more convenient and appealing, in particular for women, marginalized groups, and those in remote areas. All FGDs and KIIs were translated into English, transcribed, and coded according to an agreed framework. The analysis for this is based on extracts of this coded data. The excerpts used in the text are referenced according to the type of FGD group from which they are drawn (older men, younger men, older women, younger women). Annex 1: Data and Methods provides further details. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 2 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 1.3 Approach and Organizational Framework Our approach examines how barriers of gender inequality and exclusion compound to create barriers to achieving universal access to IDs at different parts of the registration process. Some of the ID registration process creates universal barriers; however, how these barriers are experienced and the extent of their impact differs for marginalized groups, and they may face additional barriers compared to the rest of the population. Experiences and barriers also differ by gender. Figure 1 illustrates the compounding barriers of gender inequality and exclusion. There are a range of circumstances and barriers that likely affect everyone’s experiences, such as long wait times or bureaucratic inefficiencies. Marginalized and vulnerable groups may experience these barriers more acutely, and in addition face specific barriers over and above these common barriers, arising from the circumstances of their marginalization or vulnerability. Examples include IDPs’ lack of documentation or the geographical remoteness of pastoralist groups that makes access harder than for the majority of the population. Figure 1. Compounding barriers of gender inequality and exclusion Universal + gender (+marginalization) = barriers faced by (marginalized) women Universal + marginalization = barriers faced by marginalized groups Universal barriers Gender impacts all groups and its effects are greater for women and girls in marginalized and vulnerable groups. In patriarchal societies, unequal gender norms typically mean that within any social group women are likely to face additional barriers compared to men. To capture these compounding barriers, the analysis that follows first discusses experiences and barriers that are common to everyone, followed by any additional issues that arise for specific marginalized groups, and finally, the unique experiences or barriers that women face because of their gender, over and above their other group identification. We also differentiate, wherever possible and relevant, between women from different groups. For instance, experiences of women from the more patriarchal North may differ from the experiences of women from the South on some counts. Following the FGD discussion guides, our analysis is organized around the sequence of actions that are needed to register for an ID. We use a stylized time frame of the ID journey, encompassing preregistration, at a registration center, and after the center. For each stage of the journey we analyze our data across the domains of the individual and household level, the institutional or systemic level, and the level of community-held cultural, religious, and gender- based norms (Figure 2). These categorizations help to identify where barriers originate. For example, the individual level and household level would include literacy, poverty, ownership of documents, and similar characteristics of the individual and the household that affect ID registration. The institutional or systemic level includes all the relevant aspects of the ID registration centers and processes, such as wait times, staff, location, etc. Finally, the normative level includes those cultural and social norms and beliefs that may influence registration experiences of men and women or the experiences of frequently marginalized groups, for example, persons with disabilities or pastoralists. 1 : INTRO DUCTIO N 3 Figure 2. Organizational framework Document Preregistration At a registration center After the center Awareness, motivation, Attitudes toward data sharing, Awareness of Individual/ perceptions, beliefs; resources literacy, and language barriers, procedures for household level to be able to go to a center; etc. replacement ID, etc. documentation, etc. Patriarchal norms and barriers Disapproval of women being Lack of permission to women’s registration, registered by men, norms for women to seek Cultural, social, and women’s household and care relating to photography or replacement ID, etc. gender norms responsibilities, child marriage; fingerprinting, etc., treatment attitudes and beliefs about based on social status disability/pastoralists, etc. High costs of transport, Long wait times, unhelpful Lack of system in place Institutional/ poor systems for supporting staff, confusing procedures, for replacement ID, etc. systemic level documents, inaccessible poorly equipped facilities, etc. registration centers, etc. Important elements of the dynamics around registration for and attitudes toward Nigeria’s national ID are beyond the scope of this report. For example, the report does not establish the proportion of participants that hold supporting documentation or possess an officially recognized ID, and whether this differs by gender or social group. Also, we recognize that we are only able to capture some of the diversity of registration experiences and attitudes toward IDs in Nigeria. Our data enable an analysis of some of the differences between the North and the South and between urban and rural areas. However, there are certainly many cultural, social, political, historical, and other differences between each geopolitical zone, state, and even between LGAs in Nigeria that are not captured by the data gathered for this report. Similarly, while gender and other characteristics can intersect to create complex relative vulnerabilities—for example, poor, rural men may have less access to registration than wealthy, urban women—our data did not allow us to analyze such details. Finally, as this is a qualitative study, we do not hypothesize about prevalence or trends from our study. Rather, we use the terms “most,” “many,” or “a few” and “some” to indicate how widely (or not) a view was likely to be held or an experience likely to have occurred among participants. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 4 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 2 NIGERIAN CONTEXT Photo Credit: © World Bank C h a pte r 2 : Nig e rian Contex t 5 CHAPTER 2: Nigerian Context 2.1 Coverage Gaps in Nigeria’s National ID System Since its inception in 2007, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has implemented Nigeria’s foundational ID system. To date, 41.2 million people have been registered (of whom 41 percent are women and girls) across the country. This represents only about 20 percent of the national population. In addition to the national ID issued by NIMC, there are various other functional ID schemes such as the voter’s card, driver’s license, and Bank Verification Number (BVN), etc. This proliferation of ID systems and cards has led to a fragmented ID ecosystem and enrollment fatigue among the population, which has resulted in many Nigerians not registering for a national ID. The Federal Government of Nigeria has thus indicated a strong desire to harmonize the existing identification ecosystem and increase coverage of the national ID in order to improve service delivery. A Strategic Roadmap for Developing Digital Identification in Nigeria, endorsed in September 2018, highlights the need for a minimalist ecosystem-based approach to identification in the country. The Federal Government of Nigeria’s Digital Identification for Development Project was launched in 2020 to realize this vision and enable NIMC to issue an ID to at least 65 percent of the population (80 percent of adults and 50 percent of children) over the next five years. Such a rapid and large-scale increase in coverage cannot be attained without the full participation of women. Table 1 shows the current and previous enrollment requirements and the vision for the new approach (see Annex 2 for more information about Nigeria’s ID4D Project). Table 1. Summary of current and future enrollment requirements Future enrollment under Document Current and previous enrollment ecosystem model All citizens of Nigeria as well as all Eligibility All citizens of Nigeria and legal residents of all ages people present in Nigeria of all ages Thousands of outlets led by licensed enrollment partners (e.g., banks, mobile phone operator offices, NGOs, public and private sector program offices, etc.) Location NIMC enrollment centers in LGAs around the country Registration likely to be brought to the community level through mobile enrollments and enrollment partners Walk into the nearest NIMC Enrollment Center with your Supporting documentation to be BVN, if you have one, and any of the following required streamlined and outlined in new original and valid supporting documents: identity proofing procedures (under development) to maximize inclusion 1. Old National ID Card Supporting 2. Driver’s license An “introducer model” will be put in documents 3. Voter’s card (temporary or permanent) place to help people without supporting 4. Nigerian international passport accepted documents to enroll by being introduced 5. Certificate of Origin (indigene certificate) by a trusted party 6. Attestation letter from a prominent ruler in your community 7. Birth certificate 8. Declaration of age BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 6 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Future enrollment under Document Current and previous enrollment ecosystem model 9. Attestation letter from religious/traditional leader 10. National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) ID card 11. Government staff ID card 12. Registered/recognized private organization staff ID card 13. School ID card (private/public) 14. Tax clearance certificate 15. Valid immigration documents Prior to 2019, information on up to 80 fields was collected, Only a few fields will be collected. As of including parents’ names and origin, educational attainment November 2020, the likely fields were as level, language spoken, and other information in addition follows: to basic data such as name, gender, date of birth, etc. In Likely to be required: recent years, NIMC has begun transitioning to the collection of minimal data fields (as envisioned under the ecosystem 1. Name enrollment model). 2. Gender Biographic 3. Date of birth details 4. Birth country collected 5. Nationality 6. Address Likely to be optional: 1. Telephone number 2. Email 3. Place of origin 4. Height Biometric 1. 10 fingerprints 1. 10 fingerprints details 2. Facial image (photograph) 2. Facial image (photograph) 3. Iris image (still to be decided) collected Credential Plastic smart card with chip Basic physical credential issued Sources: Nigeria ID4D Project Appraisal Document and Nigeria ID4D Technical Assessment. 2.2 Gender Inequality and Other Axes of Marginalization in Nigeria Nigeria is a country with significant gender inequality and large numbers of excluded people, especially in terms of access to services and participation in economic activities. With a population size of nearly 200 million people, Nigeria grapples with poverty, inequality, youth unemployment, and an undiversified economy. Nigeria is ethnically diverse and politically highly decentralized, with over 300 ethnicities across six geopolitical zones. Ethnic identity plays as important a role as national identity, and achieving social cohesion has been difficult, making communities vulnerable to violence and conflict. Rising inequality, large disparities between the poorer North and the more economically developed South, rapid population growth, and poor governance increase Nigeria’s social and economic fragility. The country continues to experience high child and maternal mortality rates, high fertility rates, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Conflict plagues parts of the country, making it difficult for households in those areas to access basic services or economic opportunities, resulting in major internal displacement.3 3 Nigeria on the Move: A Journey to Inclusive Growth—Moving Toward a Middle-Class Society (English). Washington, DC: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/891271581349536392/Nigeria-on-the-Move-A-Journey-to-Inclusive-Growth-Moving-Toward-a- Middle-Class-Society C h a pte r 2 : Nig e rian Contex t 7 Nigeria ranks 128 out of 153 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index.4 The emphasis placed on women’s childbearing and childrearing roles affects girls’ educational attainment, especially secondary school completion, and consequently, their level of human capital. The situation is worse in the North than in the South: over 65 percent of girls in the North ages 15–19 are unable to read, compared with less than 10 percent in the South; in the North, only 3 percent complete secondary school. The gender gap in education is higher in all three northern zones than in the three southern zones. The gender gap in use of formal financial services is large, with men nearly twice as likely as women to have bank accounts.5 Persistent gender-based violence and high fertility rates further disadvantage women. Women also face several additional institutional and cost barriers (such as distance and price) in accessing services like health care.6 Gender-based violence is widespread. Over one in five women (21 percent) have experienced intimate partner violence. Over a quarter of women believe that a husband is justified in hitting his wife in some circumstances, with overall acceptance of intimate partner violence highest in the North-East. The prevalence of female genital mutilation is 20 percent.7 Child marriage is common, particularly in parts of the North; 73 percent of married women between 20–24 years of age were married by age 18 in the North-West.8 Women’s voice and influence in formal political institutions is limited. Among politicians, only 3.4 percent of parliamentarians are women, one of the lowest rates of female participation in the world.9 Both men and women agree that opportunities and equality for women are not improving: the 2017 Afrobarometer survey10 found over 74 percent of both men and women thought equal opportunities and treatment of women over recent years have gotten either worse or stayed the same. There are gender gaps in access to economic opportunities. According to data from the World Bank, 50 percent of women ages 15–64 are in the labor force compared to 59 percent of men. The disparity in full-time employment is higher: 48 percent of employed women are fully employed compared to 64 percent of men. Women are also less likely to have high-level professional jobs than men, holding only about 30 percent of civil service or college lecturer level jobs.11 Persons living with disabilities are at high risk of exclusion from accessing IDs and government services. Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs) report that persons with disabilities are the largest minority group in Nigeria. About 29 million Nigerians are estimated to live with a disability, though this may be an underestimate. As a group, persons living with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes and face higher rates of multidimensional poverty than the general population. Cultural beliefs around gender roles that favor men further magnify the challenges of women and girls with disabilities. Attitudinal and physical barriers are among the major challenges that prevent persons living with disabilities from obtaining gainful employment, and social protection schemes do not adequately include them. Perceptions and treatment of persons with disabilities are complex, context-specific, and evolving across Nigeria. There are slight regional variations in the way people treat persons with disabilities. For example, in some communities families may hide away individuals with disabilities.12 Many persons with disabilities live among their communities while facing all the vulnerabilities resulting from their condition; however, populations suffering from leprosy in the South-East remain ostracized in camps, and these groups tend to consider the state as 4 World economic forum 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf. 5 World Bank. 2020. Nigeria on the Move: A Journey to Inclusive Growth—Moving Toward a Middle-Class Society. 6 World Bank. 2020. Nigeria on the Move: A Journey to Inclusive Growth—Moving Toward a Middle-Class Society. 7 World Bank Gender Data Portal. https://databank.worldbank.org/id/2ddc971b?Code=undefined&report_name=Gender_Indicators_Report &populartype=series. 8 NPC (National Population Commission, Nigeria) and ICF International. 2014. Nigeria: Demographic and Health Survey 2013. June. Abuja, Nigeria: NPC; Rockville, MD: ICF International. http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR293/FR293.pdf; British Council. 2012. Gender in Nigeria Report 2012: Improving the Lives of Girls and Women in Nigeria: Issues, Policies, Action. 2nd ed. Abuja, Nigeria: British Council as cited in Nigeria on the Move; and Nigeria Social Inclusion Diagnostic (forthcoming). Washington, DC: World Bank Group. 9 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS. 10 Practical Sampling International. 2017. Afrobarometer Round 7: Summary of Results for Nigeria 2017. Compiled by Practical Sampling International. https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/publications/Summary%20of%20results/nig_r7_sor_28032018_eng.pdf. 11 Labor force participation data from http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2020/dataexplorer. Other employment statistics from World Bank Group. 2019. Jumpstarting Inclusive Growth: Unlocking the Productive Potential of Nigeria’s People and Resource Endowments. Nigeria Economic Update, Fall 2019. 12 Raymond L. 2008. Scoping Studies for Disabilities in Nigeria. DFID, London. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 8 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY negligent at best, and predatorial at worst. Nigeria hosts the third highest number of IDPs in Africa (2.5 million). Forty-two percent of IDPs reside in camps and camp-like settings, while 58 percent live in host communities where there can be increased tension due to resource scarcity. IDPs face continued targeting by Boko Haram, food shortages, unemployment, congested housing settlements, poor sanitation, and de facto and de jure barriers to education and health care. Women, children, unaccompanied minors, and orphans are particularly vulnerable subsets of the IDP population and are sometimes victims of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse, including from authorities. The majority of IDPs lack any form of documentation, having lost it while fleeing. Without a certificate of indigeneity13 or other documents, IDPs can become “stateless.”14 Without an established permanent legal residency, IDPs struggle to participate in elections, find work, occupy housing, or access government services,15 and camp-based IDPs are farther away from markets and their children are less likely to be enrolled in schools than host communities.16 Pastoralists, particularly nomadic and transhumance pastoralists, are a marginalized group. Pastoralists generally have little access to government services and benefits and have low trust in government, which further limits their use of government services. While there are no reliable statistics on Nigeria’s total pastoralist population, recent estimates range from 10 to 18 million people sparsely distributed across 32 of the country’s 36 states. Tahir and Umar (2000) estimate there are about 6.5 million pastoralists of the nomadic and transhumance variety.17 The ethnic groups who practice pastoralism include the Fulani (Fulbe, Fullah, or Puel), Shuwa-Arabs, Koyam, and Baduwe, with the Fulani constituting over 90 percent of Nigeria’s pastoral population.18 Generally, pastoral populations inhabit rural areas with low population densities that are underserved in terms of infrastructure and social services. They have very low levels of education and very limited access to essential services such as health care. Moreover, their livelihoods are severely threatened by Nigeria’s rapid environmental, political, and economic transformations. Climate change, population growth, and increasing land aggregation are threatening pastoralists’ way of life. Different types of conflict adversely impact pastoralism and surrounding communities. Cattle rustling, involving theft of cattle by bandits, is widespread in states such as Zamfara and Kaduna, putting pastoralists on the defensive.19 Even before the IDP crisis and Boko Haram insurgency, pastoral migration patterns were already straying into areas across the South outside of traditional routes. Democratization after 1999 reopened tensions over indigeneity in the middle belt, where pastoralists and settled agriculturalists have engaged in serious violence. Both pastoralists and farmers are displaced in the aftermath of violent conflicts, altering the level of trust in the government and the places they are likely to congregate. 13 Though not codified in law, the population of every state and local government in Nigeria has historically been divided into two categories of citizens: those who are indigenes and those who are not. The concept of “indigeneity” in Nigeria refers to the community from which a person originates (see https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/faq/indigenes) "[i]ndigeneship (or the synonym indigeneity) is the status of being a 'native,' or 'son of the soil,' in a particular locality in Nigeria, where it grants the holder the ability to claim historical belonging in contrast to 'settlers' who originate elsewhere." Mang, Henry Gyang, and David Ehrhardt. 2019. "The Politics of Paper: Negotiating Over and Around Indigeneship Certification in Plateau State, Nigeria." Canadian Journal of African Studies. Vol. 52, No. 3. 14 The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons establishes the legal definition of stateless as applying to individuals who are not considered a citizen or national under the laws operating in any country. https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/statelessness.html. 15 Alexandra Lamarche and Mark Yarnell. 2018. Political Pressure to Return: Putting Northeast Nigeria’s Displaced Citizens at Risk. Refugees International Field Report; March. 16 Pape, Utz Johann, and Sharma, Ambika. 2019. Using Micro-Data to Inform Durable Solutions for IDPs: Volume A: Executive Summary (English). Washington, DC : World Bank http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/761091557465113541/pdf/Volume-A-Executive-Summary.pdf. 17 G. Tahir, and A. Umar. 2000. “Distance Learning for the Provision of Access to Unreached and Minorities: The Interactive Radio Distance Learning Scheme for Nomadic Pastoralists in Nigeria,” Journal of Nomadic Studies, No. 3, 40–47; see also National Commission for Nomadic Education. 18 G. Tahir, and A. Umar. 2000. “Distance Learning for the Provision of Access to Unreached and Minorities: The Interactive Radio Distance Learning Scheme for Nomadic Pastoralists in Nigeria,” Journal of Nomadic Studies, No. 3, 40–47; see also National Commission for Nomadic Education. 19 Mohammed .J. Kuna and Jibrin Ibrahim, 2016. Rural Banditry and Social Conflicts. Centre for Democracy and Development, Nigeria. C h a pte r 2 : Nig e rian Contex t 9 2.3 Intersectional Identities and Social Norms Gender inequality and marginalization create barriers for women trying to obtain IDs, and efforts to close gender gaps in ID ownership need to consider Nigerian women’s multiple identities. Intersecting identities influence the extent of disadvantage faced by women in Nigeria. Specifically, these are commonly held to be religion (Muslim vs. Christian), region of residence (South vs. North), class, and belonging to a marginalized community. In preliminary interviews, respondents suggested that Muslim women from poor households in the northern region are most likely to be excluded from society and least likely to have—or be able to obtain—an ID, and that child brides (girls married at under 18 years old) may face greater obstacles than older women or their male contemporaries to accessing an ID. This is both due to social norms that restrict mobility and accord them low social status, and because once they have moved away from their parents’ home, registration becomes more difficult.20 NIMC regulations state that registration of those under 16 requires the presence of a parent or guardian (in this case the husband).21 In general, pastoralists, migrant fisherfolk, and migrant farmers are groups that often shy away from engagement with government and are less likely to have IDs, though here too there is significant regional variation. Women from these communities are likely doubly disadvantaged: by their gender and their pastoral identity.22 Women with disabilities and displacement-affected women are also likely to face additional barriers and greater exclusion from society than women without disabilities or women who are not affected by displacement.23 Social norms play a large role in enabling or hindering women and marginalized groups’ efforts to obtain an ID. Factors such as early marriage, limited mobility, social stigma, and ageism can all play a role in decreasing ID access. Social norms may also influence demand for IDs as, for example, they may deem identity documents as unnecessary or not important for women or persons with disabilities, especially in societies where men or able-bodied people typically undertake all interactions outside the home for which an ID is required. In Nigeria gendered social norms vary widely across the country. In the North intermingling of traditional Hausa culture and conservative Islamic values sometimes largely restrict women to the confines of their household. Early and child marriage are common, often limiting girls’ access to education and restricting their agency. In other parts of the country new Christian religions are associated with women’s subordination, and so-called traditional culture is invoked to support views that women are weaker and dependent on male protection.24 Across the country persons with disabilities face greater barriers in accessing education and other services, and stigmas frequently prevent families from registering members with disabilities or seeking support services for them. For pastoralist communities, distrust in government as well as gendered social norms prevent many from seeking IDs or generally engaging with the government in any way. For IDPs, discrimination in host communities as well as gender norms may prevent many from accessing IDs and needed government services. 20 Interviews with Nigerian key informants from government and nongovernment organizations, including women’s groups, were conducted in January 2019 prior to the design of the data collection for the study. Key informant interview (KII), January 14, 2019. 21 See: https://www.nimc.gov.ng/how-to-enrol-minors/. 22 KII, January 15, 2019. 23 KII, January 27, 2019. 24 See: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/what-can-woman-do-gender-norms-in-nigerian-university/. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 10 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 3 AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES Photo Credit: © Oxford Policy Management Nigeria C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 11 CHAPTER 3: Awareness and Attitudes People’s motivation to register for a national ID is influenced by their knowledge about how to acquire and use an ID and their assessment of its usefulness. In this chapter we examine whether there are differences between men’s and women’s awareness of the national ID, their knowledge about it, what they know about its uses, how to register and the eligibility criteria, and how it compares in participants’ opinion with the many other IDs in Nigeria that people use. We also asked men and women their views on whether men need the ID more than women, women need it more, or both are equally in need of a national ID. Box 1. Summary findings: awareness and attitudes • Most respondents have heard about the national ID, with the exception of a few rural and remote respondents. • Knowledge about the national ID is uneven, incomplete, and very basic, including uses for the ID, where and how to register, eligibility to register, or the importance of the national ID compared with other forms of identification. • Respondents understand that the main use of the national ID is to prove legal identity as a Nigerian. Other uses mentioned include, as a form of identification to get access to government; banking, medical, and other services; and to be able to travel safely. • Respondents mentioned a range of documents they think are necessary for registration, as well as a range of places where one can get registered, not all of which are correct. • Attitudes toward eligibility are also varied and not all are correct. They range from anyone who lives in Nigeria (the exact criterion is citizens and legal residents), to only adults or only citizens (incorrect). • All participants thought persons with disabilities should not be discriminated against, and some expressed the view that they are in more need than other groups. • Overall awareness did not differ notably by gender, region, or between the general population and marginalized groups. • Differences in attitudes that can compound barriers for women and marginalized groups include the following: Child marriage and indigeneity (explained in section 3.1.6.) arose as important issues for men and women in the North, but not in the South. Respondents in the North were more likely than those in the South to say that it is more important for men to register for the national ID than for women. In the South—but not in the North—women were more likely than men to assert that it was equally or more important for women to register than it is for men. • Key informants were less sanguine about community awareness of the national ID than were FGD respondents. • Key informant leaders of IDPs, pastoralists, and marginalized groups thought that the ID can help their people integrate and access benefits and is thus particularly important for them. • Local leaders participating in the KIIs are aware of their role in addressing poor awareness of and encouraging their people to register for the national ID. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 12 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 3.1 Overall Awareness of the National ID Overall awareness of the national ID did not differ notably between men and women, or between the general population and marginalized groups. There were some differences in awareness about IDs between remote rural communities and communities living in other locations and a few differences between respondents from the North and the South. Additionally, there were some differences in the emphasis placed on the importance of registration from leaders of marginalized groups compared with others in the population. 3.1.1 Awareness and knowledge of uses of the national ID In some rural areas—but no urban areas—participants, both male and female, were unaware of the existence of the national ID or the NIMC office that served their community. In several rural and remote areas in both the North and South, when asked if they had registered, participants replied either that they did not know about the ID or that they did not know how to go about registering for the national ID. Moderator: Have you heard about the registration before, or today is your first time you are hearing about it? Participant: I'm just hearing about it today. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... nobody has informed us about the collection of the new national ID card. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA I don’t know where to collect it and I didn’t hear when the national ID card registration started. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA None amongst us have gone to register ... [we] do not know the location of the office. – Younger men, urban Niger State, Katcha LGA Northern women were less likely to frequent places in the community where they would learn about ID registration and were more likely to hear about it at home via word of mouth, or by someone going door to door. Honestly, if [women] did not hear anything they do not gather ... except at the hospital ... the day they go for the scan ... or on the day they do immunization. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA Male and female participants, including from marginalized groups, who had heard about the national ID understood that it is, first and foremost, a document to conclusively prove legal and national identity as a Nigerian. Participants believe that the national ID is a document the government issues to prove a legal and national identity. Participants also had an emotional response to this function of the ID, and strongly felt that it is the right and patriotic responsibility of every Nigerian to have the national ID. Most agreed that it is a “mark of identity” (Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA) and gives a “sense of belonging” (Older women, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA). Pastoralists and IDPs said the ability of the ID to officially prove one’s identity and for travel as the main reasons why the ID was important to them, for both practical and emotional reasons. For instance, older, male, rural pastoralists in Jigawa State in northern Nigeria said that having the national ID makes one a “complete citizen.” C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 13 This ID card, it is very important. For instance, if it is given to all those that are Nigerians and those that want to be Nigerians, we can know those who belong here... . – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA [I want to register] so that I will become a citizen. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Its use ... is to identify one as a bona fide citizen of Nigeria. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA [We want to register] so that we will become verified citizens. – Older women, urban IDP ... if I am rearing my cows if I have a problem somewhere even if it is in the bush, if someone that can read sees me, he will be able to identify where I am from [if I have the national ID]. – Older men, pastoralists Participants, both male and female, mentioned using the national ID to access services. Less than half of all Nigerians have a bank account,25 yet it was evident that many participants in both the North and South are aware that a national ID can be used to open a bank account. In fact, opening a bank account is one of the main reasons given by participants for wanting to have a national ID. Participants also mentioned a range of other services for which they thought the national ID would be needed (Figure 3). Figure 3. Services for which ID is needed according to participants • I use it to open an account; they said I should provide it. Had it been I do not have it, I won’t be able to Banking and open an account. ~ Older women, urban Gombe state, Gombe LGA financial • My elder brother sent money to someone... . He had to present National ID card and utility bill before transactions the money was released. ~ Younger men, urban pastoralists • They use it for enrollment into schools. ~ Younger women, urban Ogun* Schooling • If they want to go into the higher institutions, they will need the national ID card. ~ Older women, rural Ekiti • ... there might be a place you want to apply for work and it will be demanded. ~ Older men, rural Abia Employment • Sometimes in the workplace ... we were told to bring a photocopy of our national ID card before getting and business paid. ~ Older women, urban IDP • If they say there is money to be loaned out for women for any business, women will go there quickly and they will tell us to bring our national ID card. ~ Older women, rural Ekiti Government and • ... you can’t access many government services without this card. ~ Older men, urban Sokoto, Sokoto other services North LGA • Women in particular need to register for the ID because the government gives food items and before they give you, they will demand for your national ID card. ~ Older men, rural IDP * The national ID is officially not required for enrolling children in school. It is required for students taking exams after secondary school. 25 Demirgüç-Kunt Asli, Leora Klapper, Dorothe Singer, Saniya Ansar, and Jake Hess. 2018. The Global Findex Database 2017. Washington, DC: The World Bank. https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/ BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 14 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Men and women both emphasized the role of the national ID in facilitating travel. Participants across FGDs opined that the national ID is critical “… for easy travelling” (Younger women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA) within the country, whether for business, trade, or personal reasons, as it would immediately identify them as Nigerians. Most participants expected—some as a result of experience—that anyone going from one part of the country to another was going to be asked to produce his or her NIMIC ID. Failure to show the national ID could result in physical harassment or a demand for bribes by security personnel. ... if you want to travel [w]ith the help of that [national ID] as you are on the road, no policeman or any other force will disturb you. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA For us Fulani we migrate from one place to another. While on the move someone may ask you for your ID card and when you show it, they will know where you are from. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA [When I was traveling] it is the national ID card that saved me from immigration and customs. We left behind two people that day that didn’t have means of identification. So, I believe it is the only means of identification. – Younger men, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA There was this time my husband was travelling to Maiduguri. Because he doesn't have it [national ID], he was asked to pay N1,500. – Older women, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA My reason of doing it [registering for the national ID] is because of what security personnel have done to us when travelling. Because we don't have it, they demand money from us before we are allowed to go. This is the main reason why I want to do it [register for the national ID]. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA A national ID’s use as a means of identification in case of accidents while traveling, or if an individual is lost or goes missing, was another key reason for wanting to have a national ID. However, some participants thought that the national ID also stored information on an individual’s blood type and the name and contact information of his or her relatives, neither of which is the case. A few participants, primarily in the South, mentioned using the card to catch criminals. Men and women both had similar opinions. During an accident, they can check and identify you properly and know where you are from. – Younger men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA ... in an accident or when you get lost once you have the [national ID] card it will make it easy to find you. – Younger women, urban Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA “... If you might be travelling and there was an accident ... if they [the hospital] log in this number on your ID card, they will see everything about you even your blood group, you can be identified easily.” – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 15 Some were aware that the national card can be used for travel within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and that the ID number is needed to apply for a passport. Others, however, seemed to think one could travel to Mecca for Hajj using just the ID, which is incorrect. Men and women from all groups held this view. I think it can be used in place of international passport in gaining entrance to some African country like the Republic of Benin. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA If anyone requires a visa to travel out of the country, he needs an international passport and not a national ID card. Both of them are important. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA [The national ID is] for people who want to go for Muslim Hajj. – Younger women, rural Niger State, Katcha LGA If Allah has destined and you have the means to go for pilgrimage, they said you must bring the na- tional ID card before they will allow you. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA Box 2. Key informant perspectives on community awareness Across the North and South, most of the key informants interviewed had heard about the national ID and thought it was important. Their reasons were similar to those given by FGD participants. Only a few key informants had not heard about the ID; the vast majority knew about it, had registered, and had made some attempts to inform their communities. Those who knew about the national ID uniformly agreed that the national ID was important to have, and for the same reasons as FGD participants, namely for citizenship, travel, banking, identification in the case of an accident, and so on. Key informants also gave similar feedback on sources of information for men and women on the national ID and the registration process. Key informants were less sanguine than FGD participants about the extent of awareness among people in the community. A few confidently asserted that everyone would know about the national ID because it is so important. However, most said that less educated, rural, or remote populations were unlikely to know about or to value the national ID. ... This message about the national ID card even inside the remote areas there is nowhere that this message did not get to ... (traditional leader, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA) ... those coming from the rural areas don’t know much [about the national ID] ... (State Ministry of Women Affairs, Gombe State) Moderator: Why do you think many people don’t know about it [the national ID]? Participant: Because we are in a village and people don’t go out. (traditional leader, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA) Women don’t know [about the national ID]. If some men don’t know about the national ID card, then rural women living far away don’t know about it. (State Ministry of Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom State) At the same time, local leaders said they could help increase awareness about ID among the people in their community. Thank God that some of us are enlightened. We know the benefit of the ID card. So, without waiting for the stakeholders to come and tell us, some of us have told our people the benefit of having this national ID card. (traditional leader, urban Ebonyi State, Abakaliki LGA) BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 16 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Oga [the village chief] came and told me ... so when he told me, I informed my members and told them to come out in their numbers to register so that we will not be left behind. (Woman leader of visually impaired group, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA) The local government sends messages to the Emir, the Emir will send it to the village head, then the village head sends it to the educated villagers, and the educated villagers send it to the noneducated villagers in all the villages and cities. This is to inform them that the government had brought something meaningful to them, then fix date to start registration, then tell them to tell others. They also inform the teachers and everyone about the date of the registration after it has been announced. (Traditional leader, urban Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA) As the Imam I had the opportunity to be at a program organized by the National Orientation Agency ... since then ... when we received the information, we have been stepping it down to the people ... and being in the Muslim community we are always called upon as a leader among the Muslims to talk to them on different matters. (Traditional leader, rural Ogun State, Abeokuta LGA) 3.1.2 Understanding of eligibility criteria for national ID registration All legal residents of Nigeria are entitled to apply for a national ID, but most participants across the North and South thought that noncitizens were ineligible for a national ID.26 Good Nigerian citizens for a mark of recognition [should register]. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA Every Nigerian [should register], because of his right that he has as citizen. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA Participant: I believe every indigene of Nigeria is qualified to obtain the card. Interviewer: What do you mean by indigene? Participant: I mean, citizens of Nigeria. Those whose parents are citizens of Nigeria. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA There is a range of opinions among participants—some accurate and others less so—on the meaning of citizenship. Some participants viewed long-term residency as equivalent to citizenship for purposes of eligibility for national ID registration. For example, many participants considered those who had lived in the country “a long time” as citizens eligible to register for the national ID, although their definition of a long time ranged from 3 to more than 30 years. Similarly, participants largely agreed that non-Nigerians married to Nigerians became “citizens” and thus are eligible for the national ID. While some said this applied to both men and women, others adhered to patriarchal norms arguing that non-Nigerian men who marry Nigerian women are ineligible because the Nigerian wife would, instead, likely take on her non-Nigerian husband’s citizenship. Presently under Nigerian law, married women are unable to confer citizenship to a nonnational spouse. 27 Participants who believed that any resident should be able to register for the national ID said (correctly) that the national ID was not described as being only for citizens. A group of IDPs thought refugees from Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, who were currently living in Nigeria due to conflict and crisis in the Lake Chad area, were or should be eligible.28 26 All citizens and legal residents in Nigeria are eligible for the National Identity Number (NIN) from birth onwards. https://nea.com.ng/faqs/. 27 Women Business and the Law 2020 cite Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Art. 26(2)(a) as the legal basis for the view that a married woman cannot legally confer her citizenship to a nonnational spouse in the same way as a married man can in Nigeria. https://wbl .worldbank.org/en/wbl-data. Additional data. 28 https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/nigeria-emergency.html; https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Lake%20Chad%20Snapshot.pdf C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 17 If a Nigerian man marries a Niger woman, she is supposed to register but the Niger man must not register [if he marries a Nigerian woman] because he is a man [and he may go back to his country with his Nigerian wife]... . – Younger men, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA [Noncitizens residing in Nigeria] are supposed to register ... because they reside in Nigeria and since this thing is done in Nigeria, they have much right also to be registered for the card. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA ... they didn’t identify whether it [the national ID] is for Nigerians or not. They just said “national,” so I think they [non-Nigerians] can also register here. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Moderator: Do you think that foreigners could do this registration? Participant 1: Since we came here, they did the registration for people from Niger and Chad. Participant 2: For some of them who spent the whole of their lives here in Nigeria, they can do the registration because they have become Nigerians. – Older women, rural IDP There is no minimum age for a national ID. However, opinions and knowledge about age-related eligibility varied. All participants agreed that young adults should register as they are most likely to use the national ID. A majority said that very young children should not register as they are incapable of understanding or using the card: their “head is still raw” as one young woman said (urban Plateau, Jos North LGA). Some noted that children can be registered once they achieve a certain level of understanding or at least can carry their own card, though what age is appropriate ranged from 5 years to 18. A few opined that very old people should not register as there is nothing for which they will need or use such an ID, or they may not be physically capable of registering. Others said that everyone should be eligible to register regardless of age, as it is a right available to all that are resident in Nigeria. [The national ID] is not for children, it is for experienced people, people that can make use of the card ... the children will not be able to make use of it, because they have not reached the age where it will be demanded of them. – Younger women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA Moderator: At what age do you think someone should get registered? Participant: At the age when he can vote ... 18 years. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA Moderator: What about the elderly ones that are unable to walk? Participant: No [they should not register for the national ID]. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Since it is called national identity card it is meant for everyone; there shouldn't be any age limit since it is a national thing; both young and old even if it is a newborn baby if the face is visible enough, they should be registered. – Older men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 18 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 3.1.3 Knowledge of registration center location Participants referred to a range of locations where they thought registration was possible. Box 3. Locations where participants thought* Participants who purported to know where to they could register register for the national ID mentioned a range of locations where registration could occur Bus stop National Population Commission (Box 3). In fact, at the time of writing, people Central bank National agents in village could only be registered at NIMC enrollment centers throughout the country or during Independent National Electoral School Commission temporary registration drives put on by some NIMC enrollment centers. Similarly, participants, King’s/emir’s palace Town hall even in the same FGD or from the same area, Local/federal secretariat Village council mentioned a wide range of travel costs and Marketplace West African Examinations estimated distance from their location to what Council they thought was their nearest registration center. *People are only able to register at NIMC enrollment centers under the current system. 3.1.4 Knowledge of required supporting documents Most participants understand the concept of supporting documents but are unclear Box 4. Documents mentioned as supporting documents about the details. A very wide range of possible documents (Table 1 shows supporting • Voter’s card • WAEC (school exam) documents) that could in fact be used to • NEPA (electric) bill • Community ID card prove identity for national ID registration • Passport photo • Water board bill are mentioned in Box 4. A baptism card was • Marriage certificate • Passport photo mentioned only in the South, whereas an indigene card and using a husband’s national • Local government ID card • Verbal self-identification ID were mentioned only in the North. A large • Work ID • Baptism card (only in the proportion of participants felt that a letter of • Court affidavit South) identification or attestation from the local chief • Letter from Emir (North), • Declaration of age or king, or from a local pastor, would be enough Eze or another traditional to prove a person’s individual and community • School ID chief (South) identity. Others went further, to say that it was • School leaving certificate • Indigene card (only in the enough to have a husband, friends, or relatives • Old national ID North) vouch for a person’s identity. • Cooperative identification • Husband’s ID (only in the card North) In both the North and South, some partici- pants did not know which supporting docu- • SSCE (secondary school) ments may be needed. certificate C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 19 Honestly, I am not aware of the documents she [the person] needs to carry along with her [to register for the national ID]. – Younger men, rural pastoralist I don't know [what documents are needed to register] because I have not registered... . We are not using [the national ID], we do not carry it. – Older women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA Some participants did not know where to get the supporting documents required to register for the national ID. Most often, but not exclusively ,people from rural areas in the North and members of IDP or pastoralist communities did not have this information. Okay where would I go [to get identity documents]? (laughs) We don’t know truly. We are in the bush what do we know? – Older women, pastoralists Participants: No. No, women in my community don’t know the way [to the court that they will go to complete a declaration of age if they have no birth certificate]. Nobody knows. Some know. We won’t lie. – Younger women, urban IDP Moderator: Okay ... if she's to go for an indigene letter, where can she get it from and how much do they charge? Participant: Well, for the indigene letter, I'm not aware of that one. – Older women, rural Plateau State, Wase LGA Most participants across the North and South suggested a multiplicity of sources for supporting documents, including formal locations such as a court, hospital, or police station, but also letters from a chief or head of village. Sources varied by document type, with no one source emerging as dominant in either region. If someone needs a birth certificate she will go and collect it ... at the hospital. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA You can get a document from your village king and identify yourself [for registration]. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA You will start looking for the indigene form from home through the ward head to the district head, and they will now link you up with the secretary to the local government chairman to sign for you. After all these, you will have to go to [name of location] for them to sign on it for you. – Older men, pastoralists Frequently, participants across the North and South stated no documentation was needed to register. For several people this was based on their experience of some recent registration drives where documentation requirements had been waived for some communities at the discretion of NIMC staff. Others thought that there was no need for documentation because they would provide the required information verbally, using the logic that if they themselves know their date of birth or marriage there should be no need for additional, formal evidence of these dates. Others said that registration officers could see whether the age being verbally given was correct or not and thus verbal statements were enough. These views and experiences were echoed across urban and rural areas, age groups, and among both men and women. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 20 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY If I know my date of birth, why would I carry it [a birth certificate] along with me to the center? – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA There is nothing else we took with us apart from the fact that they asked us of our date of birth in the form. They just asked us questions and they said we should thumbprint. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA If you don’t have it, you tell them the date of your birth and they will fill it for you. – Older women, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA 3.1.5 Awareness of processes to replace a lost National Identity Number (NIN) slip or national ID Participants were unclear about the process involved to get a replacement NIN slip or ID card.29 Opinions ranged from no action needed, all the way to a full repeat registration (Box 5). Opinions were also mixed on whether or not payment would have to be made for a replacement. Moderator: What will she take along so that the system can retrieve the lost card? Participant: Nothing, since her name is already with them on their system. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA She would take the damaged one to the center, or explain what happened, so that they check the list and reprint. – Younger men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA [A person would need to take] a piece of paper to prove to the court that you misplaced your nation- al ID card, first of all. The district of our community, for instance your place of work, can issue a paper to you [to attest to your identity], then you take the paper to the police office, then you take another paper from the police office to the court. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Box 5. Range of respondent beliefs on requirements for a replacement NIN slip or national ID • No new documentation needed • Need to provide date of original national ID registration, name, phone number, voter ID, and/or passport • Need to show the “small slip” or receipt • Need to get a police report and/or affidavit • Requires additional money for transport, documents, affidavit, police, and/or bribes • Need to repeat biometrics • Need to repeat the entire process again, including with all documents • NIN slip cannot be reissued; need to change name and start anew 29 Requirements for a replacement of a NIN slip or ID card differ according to whether the original has been lost, stolen, or damaged. Instructions for replacement of a NIN slip can be found here: https://www.nimc.gov.ng/nin-slip-reissuance/. Instructions for replacement of an ID card can be found here: https://www.nimc.gov.ng/eid-card-replacement/ C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 21 A few erroneously believed that it was not possible to get a replacement under any circumstances if the original national ID was lost. Several reasons were given including: the registration drive was over; the law did not allow for a replacement ID; once you were registered you could not get a replacement with the same name; and, the information would not be available to register the same person again. No, she cannot [get a replacement]. They have told us that it’s a law you cannot do it twice. – Men, leprosy colony Moderator: What if the card got lost? Participant: Then she will have to forget it. Moderator: Can they register her again? Participant: No. If the card gets lost then she will have to forget it, they cannot register her again... . – Younger women, urban pastoralists She must register afresh. The names are already recorded, so even if you go back, they will tell you that you are already registered. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA There is nowhere she can get it ... as they have already finished the registration. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA 3.1.6 Child marriage and indigeneity as eligibility criteria in the North Some participants in the North thought that girls could be registered if they were married or were considered of marriageable age, reflecting the prominence of child marriage in the North.30 A girl of 10 years old can get registered because she has attained the age when she can be married off. – Younger men, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA ... a female can be registered from the age of twelve or thirteen ... because a girl of thirteen years can easily marry and immediately become a woman who takes key decisions due to the nature of our culture. [Among us] the Hausa Fulani and [of] Islamic orientation the women marry early and become responsible quickly. – Older men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA She might be considered [eligible to register] because of her marriage as ladies of 13–14 years can get married. – Older women, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA 30 Child marriage is fairly common in northern Nigeria. More than two-thirds of women in North-West Nigeria (68 percent) and 57 percent of women in North-East ages 20–24 are married before age 18. See: https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/nigeria/. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 22 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY The importance of indigeneity for registration was discussed more by participants in the North than the South, though it was an important issue for both, reflecting the centrality of the issue of indigeneity in Nigeria in general.31 Interestingly, most participants in the North thought that registration should not be affected by a person’s indigeneity or tribal identity because all Nigerians have the right and responsibility to register, while some said that people should only be allowed to register for the national ID in the state of which they are an indigene. Participant: I believe every indigene of Nigeria is qualified to obtain the card. Interview: What do you mean by indigene? Participant: I mean, citizens of Nigeria. Those whose parents are citizens of Nigeria. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA I believe that everybody as long as you are indigene of Nigeria should have ID card. That’s what makes you a Nigerian. – Older men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA So the person that is not from Sokoto, let’s say he is from Zamfara, he should go back to his state and register. – Older women, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA Moderator: Do you think someone that is not from this local government or not your tribe could come and register here? Participant: Yes. Because you are a Nigerian. So, you are allowed to register. –Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA The potential influence of indigeneity on registration eligibility was of particular concern to IDPs. Most IDPs have been displaced from their place of origin to another state or LGA where they are not indigenes. Opinions and experiences of the importance of indigeneity in determining where IDPs register were mixed. Opinions varied also about whether national IDs should be made available to foreigners, particularly refugees from Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, who were currently in Nigeria due to conflict and the crisis in the Lake Chad area.32 Moderator: Okay, now let’s say here, since most of you left your hometown to this place ... are you supposed to be registered here when registration commences here? Participants: It is right to register us here ... because our home is here, our everything is here, so we are to be registered here. – Older men, rural IDP When we got to the registration center ... we did everything that was expected of us, then we pro- ceeded to the registration room where the workers ... found out that we weren't indigenes and they said "you are from [another Nigerian state] so we can't register you." Those were their words, insinu- ating that we should go back to where we left or came from. – Younger men, urban IDP 31 Though not codified in law, the population of every state and local government in Nigeria has historically been divided into two categories of citizens: those who are indigenes and those who are not. The concept of “indigeneity” in Nigeria refers to the community from which a person originates (see https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/faq/indigenes) "[i]ndigeneship (or the synonym indigeneity) is the status of being a 'native,' or 'son of the soil,' in a particular locality in Nigeria, where it grants the holder the ability to claim historical belonging in contrast to 'settlers' who originate elsewhere" Mang, Henry, and Ehrhardt, David. 2019. The politics of paper: negotiating over and around indigeneship certification in Plateau State, Nigeria. Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines. 52. 1–17. 10.1080/00083968.2018.1546602. Mang, Henry Gyang, and David Ehrhardt. 2019. “The Politics of Paper: Negotiating Over and Around Indigeneship Certification in Plateau State, Nigeria.” Canadian Journal of African Studies. Vol. 52, No. 3. 32 https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/nigeria-emergency.html; https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Lake%20Chad%20Snapshot.pdf. C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 23 Moderator: Do you think that I can do the registration here in your secretariat if I am from [some oth- er] state? Participant: If It is because of being internally displaced yes, but if not for that reason, it will not work. – Older women, rural IDP Moderator: Do you think that foreigners could do this registration? Participant 1: Since we came here as refugees, they did the registration for people from Niger and Chad. Participant 2: For some of them who spent the whole of their lives here in Nigeria, they can do the registration because they have become Nigerians. – Older women, rural IDP 3.1.7 Attitudes toward the importance of registration for marginalized groups In both the North and South all agreed that persons with disabilities should not face discrimination and, in fact, may have a greater need for the national ID than those without disabilities. All citizens of Nigeria should have it, even the people living with disabilities ... as long as he/she is a citizen of Nigeria. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA They [persons living with disabilities] should be registered ... they are also human ... everyone should be given equal opportunity. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Leaders of IDPs, pastoralists, and persons with disabilities emphasized the importance of registration for the inclusion of their communities. They noted that for marginalized communities such as theirs, the national ID is key to establishing a Nigerian identity. Leaders from pastoralist and IDP communities talked about its importance to individuals of these groups as travelers. Leaders from communities of persons with disabilities, such as persons afflicted by leprosy, noted that having a national ID gives people in such groups more confidence to integrate into society. Most of us are from the border ... with Cameroon. But if you don’t have the national ID card now they will waste your time [and not believe that you are Nigerian]. – Pastoralist leader It is important because for some of us, we are travelers ... if the security officials asked you for it [national ID] and you don’t have it, what will come next is maltreatment. But if you have it and you presented it, you don’t have a case with them [they will not harass you]. So, you see it is important. – Urban IDP leader Being a victim of leprosy, you know the stigma inside of it then, you are already discriminated... . Now when you have your national ID card, it can even give you the morale to stand among other people... . Being among people who are able and you are disabled, you can even stand, even go to the court to make claims, even go to the police station to call a police person to come and assist you because it gives you confidence. – Traditional leader, rural leprosy group BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 24 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 3.2 Attitudes toward Data Sharing Attitudes toward sharing biometrics (fingerprints and photographs) were largely similar across gender, region, and group status. For the most part, respondents were willing to share photographs or fingerprints but more reluctant to share bank verification numbers (BVNs). Men voiced a few concerns regarding women’s sharing of biometrics, as discussed below. Some IDPs, and some respondents from the North, expressed some concern about sharing certain types of personal demographic information, which is discussed at the end of this section. 3.2.1 Overall attitudes toward data sharing Participants, both men and women, typically understood why they were required to give fingerprints, a photograph, and some personal information. Generally, participants seemed willing to give such information to government officials in order to register for the national ID and understood that the government needs the information to confirm that an individual is who they say they are. Key factors contributing to their comfort level in sharing this information included trust in government, a desire to obtain the national ID, an understanding that this involves giving personal information, and a pride in the legitimacy of the identity conferred by the national ID. It will give you joy because they regarded you as a full citizen so be free to give out your data. – Older women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA [The] government brings those things to help us... . So, government wants us do these things [give our information], so we shouldn't be scared, we need to do it. – Younger men, rural Cross River State, Obubra LGA [The] government can do anything, and they can act on anything. So, when you heard it is the gov- ernment [taking your information] you can be rest assured that you will be safe. – Younger women, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA We don’t feel tense, because we believe with time it will be beneficent to our children, even after death, and to yourself while you are still alive. – Older women, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA Most IDPs, were very comfortable giving information to get the national ID. The reasons for their level of comfort were the same as the other participants: seeing others answer the same questions, trust in the government, being informed beforehand of the need for the information requested, and the importance of the national ID. A minority, more in the North than in the South, thought the amount of information required in the current system was excessive.33 It is nothing. Because everybody has to give their information, if they ask the person the kinds of questions they ask all of us, that is not an issue. – Younger men, urban IDP This is a sign to confirm you are a citizen and you are Nigerian. So, what fear would you have? – Older men, urban IDP The government did it for the benefit of the citizens and we don’t believe that the government would harm us using the information we provided to them. – Older men, rural IDP 33 Note that in the future the number of fields will be greatly reduced; see Table 1. C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 25 I just felt since I want the national ID card, I should just cooperate so that I can do it. – Younger women, urban IDP I almost got angry because the questions were too plenty. – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA Honestly the questions are much. – Younger men, rural pastoralists A minority of participants said they were reluctant to give personal information because they feared that their information would not be kept confidential and that it could be misused. Some also said they would hesitate to give information if they did not understand why it was needed, had not been informed about information requirements for the registration, or felt they were being singled out. Government ... are in a hurry. They may misplace some people's names or misuse it. – Older men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Do we trust the persons we are releasing our names to? I don’t trust them, because some persons can [mis]use it. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Even if it is from the government, I will not be comfortable, because I have given them my informa- tion, it will get me thinking. – Younger women, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA ... if we have not been informed about the [registration] exercise we may not respond to their de- mands [for fingerprints]. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA When I was told to stand [for my thumbprint and photograph] I got scared, because I have never seen it being done before. – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA Many participants are reluctant to share their BVN.34 The majority of participants in rural areas in the North said they did not have bank accounts;35 among the few who did, not all were willing to share their BVN with registration officials. Across the study sites, others thought it was unnecessary and inappropriate to be asked for the BVN, and many were afraid of fraud. Men who had reservations about sharing their BVN also held these reservations for the women in their households; there were no gender differences in willingness to share the BVN. The reluctance to share the BVN was not universal, however, as others said they would willingly share the BVN as it was the government that was requesting it and they trusted the government. 34 The BVN is an 11 digit number that acts as an individual’s universal ID in all commercial banks in Nigeria and is required to open a bank account. The Central Bank of Nigeria implemented the BVN to curb illegal banking. NIMC collects the BVN number only to determine whether that individual already has a NIN. A large part of the BVN registry has been harmonized with the national ID database, and NINs have been issued to those people who were merged from the BVN registry. As a result, if you already have a BVN, it is likely that you have been issued a NIN and do not need to go through the whole enrollment process. NIMC therefore collects the BVN to check whether an individual is already in the national ID database and already has a NIN. 35 According to the EFInA Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey, only about 40 percent of Nigerians use a formal bank. Those in the North, rural areas, and women are less likely to be banked than those in the South, urban areas, or male. See: https://www.efina.org.ng/ wp-content/uploads/2019/01/A2F-2018-Key-Findings-11_01_19.pdf. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 26 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY I’ll give [my bank information] without any doubt because It is the government that asks for it, if they know it will be a problem, they will not ask for it. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA Of a truth I don’t understand why they need the BVN to register people... . – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA No [I would not give my bank information]. The situation in Nigeria has changed. No one can be trusted anymore. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA That ID card has nothing to do with BVN at all. – Older women, leprosy colony If it is Government ... I don’t have to disturb myself. Government cannot fraud me. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA 3.2.2 Hesitation regarding specific questions among IDPs and respondents in the North The personal nature of the enrollment questions generated sadness and consternation among some IDPs. Such feelings were triggered because questions regarding names of family members and home villages reminded IDPs of their dislocation and the people they had lost. When we entered, they started asking: Your grandfather, your father, your mother, yourself, your children, next of kin, so for me, all that interrogation is for what? It got me upset ... for someone not to see your secrets, how you ran away and hid, you came to save your life and your children and wives here. – Older men, urban IDP Moderator: How did you feel about the questions you were being asked? Participant: Sad. It even raised my blood pressure... . I shed tears that day because I was too tense. – Older women, urban IDP The question they ask of next of kin is the one I am concerned about. If your next of kin is dead, your eyes will be filled with tears. – Younger women, urban IDP Some participants in the North hesitated or were unwilling to speak (or tell anyone) their grandparents’ names. In some cases, it was because a participant did not know their names, but there also appears to be additional hesitation that may arise from local cultural norms. While this was not a frequent occurrence, it stood out from other reasons for hesitation. I know the name of my mother’s father, but I don’t know the name of my father’s father... . I felt some- how, I even asked them what they really wanted to use the names for? – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 27 Participant: Honestly, a person cannot give out the names of his grandparents, he can only give out his own and his father’s names. Moderator: Okay, why can’t you give out the names of your grandparents? Participant: Because you know some things are left as a secret. – Younger men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA Participant: I started thinking what the essence of asking grandparents instead of parents, I even asked one of their staff, what is the reason behind this? He told me, that is the process. Moderator: Were you satisfied with his explanation? Participant: Yes. – Younger women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA 3.2.3 Attitudes toward women sharing biometric and other information Men typically did not object to women in their household sharing biometric information, as long as the women had first asked for permission, and the men knew why the information was being shared and with whom. Men also said they would explain to the women in their households why biometrics were necessary to share; others noted that they had no objection because women would benefit the same way as men. In some cases men responded that it was up to women themselves to decide whether they wanted to share their biometrics. We would have been hearing about the exercise and then we will educate her that it [giving fingerprints] is not something she needs to be afraid of. That the intention is pure and it is meant for her own advantage. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA I will first ask her who were the people that requested for her fingerprint and why was it collected. – Younger men, Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA If they [women in the household] are ok with it [giving fingerprints and photographs] there is no problem with me. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ise Orun LGA Some—but not all—women and men in the North voiced some discomfort with having men interview women or hold women’s hands for fingerprinting. However, for the most part this discomfort did not translate into reluctance to give fingerprints or other data. I will prefer a female staff holding my hands [for fingerprinting]. – Younger women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA ... if it’s not a married woman that is asking you the questions. If it’s a man, then you start to become ner- vous. – Younger pastoralist women, rural Gombe State, Kwami LGA The truth is that I won't be pleased with it... . – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA I am not comfortable honestly that a male official attend to my wife. – Older nomadic man, rural Niger State, Rafi LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 28 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 3.3 Gender Differences in Value of ID for Men versus Women Views about whether registering for the national ID is more important for men or for women or equally important varies by region and gender of respondent. Not all participants answered this question, but among those who did, emerging gender and regional patterns reflect the more patriarchal systems of the North compared to the South. Participants from the North were more likely to say that registering was more important for men than for women, than those who were from the South. Those from the North were also less likely to say that it is more important for women than for men to register, or that it is equally important for both. In the North, women were less likely than men to say that it was equally important for both to register for the ID, and more likely than men to say that it was more important for men than women. In the South, in contrast, women were more likely than men to assert that it was either equally important or more important for women than men to register for the ID. Differences between men’s and women’s views on the importance of ID in the North and South are illustrated using quantitative data collected from individuals for a background study conducted for Nigeria’s Digital Identification for Development Project (Figure 4). While these figures are not nationally representative, they indicate differences in attitudes toward who needs an ID across a number of LGAs. Figure 4. Do men or women need the ID card more? By region and gender of survey respondent All respondents who answered the questions Respondents from the North who answered the question 60 60 50 50 40 40 Percent Percent 30 30 20 20 10 10 0 0 Both need ID Men need ID Women need ID Both need ID Men need ID Women need ID Women Men Women Men Respondents from the South who answered the question 60 50 40 Percent 30 20 10 0 Both need ID Men need ID Women need ID Women Men Source: Authors calculations from data collected for Nigeria ID4D Social Assessment. These data are not nationally representative. Reasons given for why men and women should register were broadly similar across regions. However, the emphasis given to particular reasons varied somewhat between the North and South. Figure 5 summarizes the reasons given by participants for their gender preferences across the North and South. C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 29 Figure 5. Perspectives on why women, men, or both need IDs • More women in population • Do all tasks in public spaces • Equal rights Why women need ID more • More responsible Why both equally need ID Why men need ID more • Out and about more • Both travel • Out and about more • Travel • To open bank accounts • For jobs, banking, and the • Breadwinner like • Men and women can do the • Women marry and leave same things • For own health care • Head of household • Both are Nigerian and thus • More time to register • Men more educated; women must have the ID • For children understand less • In case husband is absent 3.3.1 Reasons why women need to register for the national ID A small proportion of participants from both the North and South said that women should be given preference over men in registering for the national ID. Reasons given by both men and women were that women were more responsible than men, would be more likely than men to use the national ID for the welfare of the household, and were less likely than men to misplace the national ID. Others felt that women need the national ID to enable them to get jobs, get an account, or otherwise engage in the public sphere. When we tell the men some things they don’t care and wouldn’t do it so we have to stand up and do it for ourselves; that’s why I said the card would be more useful to [women]. – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA They [women] are more serious than men when it comes to doing anything that will benefit them on a long run... . – Older men, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA It is useful for females more than the male... . Because we do a lot of things as women. – Younger women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA Well, females need it more for banking and besides we make more money than men. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA A few, primarily female, participants in both the North and South said that women and men were capable of, and increasingly doing, the same tasks and thus women should get a national ID. They noted that while in the past women may have stayed home, in today’s world women were increasingly engaged in the public sphere and thus needed to register for the national ID. Women have dominion in the world now. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 30 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY [Women should get the national ID] because what men can do women can do better. – Younger women, rural Plateau State, Kanam LGA Because we are tired of staying at home and have to be working and doing other business. – Older women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA We can’t just depend on a man. What if tomorrow, he is not around, I have it for my own right. I can stand up tomorrow, go look for a job, and take care of my family, I can’t depend on my husband, I can’t. – Older women, rural Plateau State, Wase LGA She may seek to have the ID card because of the search of independence. – Older men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) If it were before, men work more, they do contracts, and other things more than women but now, everybody works. Once day breaks, a man goes to work, and women go to work as well. – Older women, urban leprosy colony Several participants, particularly in the North, said women needed the national ID to access health care, take better care of children’s needs, and access services for the household, especially in cases when their husbands were absent. An ID was considered particularly important for pregnant women. When it comes to taking her to the health facility, and they said they will not admit her except with that ID card, it is more important to women. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA The reason I said the card is more useful to the women is because they would need it in the hospi- tal. For example, if she is pregnant and she needs to be checked, and if she has the ID card it would make it easier for her. – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA It is useful for females whose child wants to gain admission to schools and they require that their parents must have the card. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA Women are the ones that take care of the house and women are closer to the children than the men; that’s why men hardly do anything for their children [and why women need to register for the national ID]. – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA [A woman should have the national ID because] even if her husband is not around she can travel. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Nafada LGA C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 31 3.3.2 Reasons why men need to register for the national ID more than women The view that men need the national ID more than women reflected prevailing patriarchal social norms in Nigeria about male superiority. Many male and female participants described men (but not women) as “strong,” “king of the country,” “head of the home,” able to “hustle,” having “authority over women,” and “more informed.” Particularly in the North, it was noted that since women could not go anywhere without their husband, as long as he had the national ID that would suffice, regardless of where the woman needed to go or what activity she needed to do outside of the house. Others said that since men did all the tasks in public spaces, they needed the national ID, not their wives. ... once a young lady is matured enough, no matter the level of education they must end up in her husband’s house and as such they do not need the card... . – Younger women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA It is important for me but the importance for women is not as much as my own ... because I have mar- ried her and she is not working at the office, her office is with me. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA You see men are more powerful, the business which men do here the female will not be able to do it [so men should get the national ID]... . – Older women, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA A man is the bread winner of the family, a leader of the house... . So it is important for men to have it [national ID]. – Older men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Sir, everywhere a woman will go, she must go with her husband, that is why we said [the national ID] is very important for men. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Nafada LGA Some men feel since they have registered, there is no need for their wives to do same, meaning his own can also serve for her. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA They [men] feel if they have it [the national ID], we too have it. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA ... their men are the people that pay school fees of their children. Men in the village, they go to the bank... . So the men take all the responsibilities, that’s why men need it most. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA Some participants believed women do not understand the use of the national ID as well as men. These participants thought that either women themselves did not feel they needed to have the national ID, or that they are not educated enough to understand the value of the ID. Thus, they argued, men should be prioritized. Because women, some women don't know its importance. – Older women, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 32 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Men will give it [the national ID] more seriousness but women are more concerned about their homes and businesses. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA Participants in the North noted the effect of social norms about women’s mobility outside the home and their limited ability to act in the public sphere. Women in the North were less likely to go out of the house or be employed outside the home and hence needed the national ID less than did their menfolk or women in the South, said some participants, primarily men. The reason, why I said [in the] North [registering for the national ID] is more important to men, be- cause men move around more than the women, while Southern women are used to moving around for marketing more than men. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA In communities like ours this card is more important to men than women because most of them are full housewives, but in the southern part of this country where both men and women are working or doing business together, they equally need it. – Older men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA Here in the North, it is more beneficial to the males than the females. But in the South, it is beneficial to both parties because we differ in norms with them. – Younger men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA Because they [men] travel to other countries more than women. – Younger women, urban Niger State, Chanchaga LGA 3.3.3 Reasons for why both men and women equally need to register for the national ID The most common reasons given for the national ID being equally needed by men and women were that all are Nigerian, and that men and women should have equal rights. This ID card is for both men and women. We can’t say it is more important to women or it is more important to men. Everybody needs to have it. – Older women, urban Cross River State, Calabar Municipal LGA Because this ID card is a privilege so it should be shared equally. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Well, ... a human is a human, so it is important for each human to have the card and it's very important to have it. – Younger women, persons with disabilities (visually impaired) It does not make sense that I have the national ID card and my wife does not have it, it does not speak well of us if we do not have it, how do we identify ourselves as a citizen of Nigeria. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 33 Others offered more practical reasons why women and men are equally in need of the national ID. Some examples were that both men and women can be asked to show the national ID, it is mandatory, and both men and women have need of and use services that require the national ID. ... everybody is supposed to have it in case of anything. If you go to a bank to open an account, they can ask a man or woman for the ID card, so we are all supposed to have it. It is compulsory. – Younger men, rural Cross River State, Obubra LGA [Both should have the national ID because] men travel and women travel, men do business and women also do business. Like me, my business is more than my husband’s own, I travel more than him. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA The women also go out, they open accounts for which [the national ID is a] requirement, and they travel and go to work as well, this is the reason why I said that it is important to both the men and the women. – Older women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA 3.4 Preference for Different IDs There were no differences by gender or between marginalized groups in preference for different IDs. When asked about which IDs they preferred, most participants compared the national ID and voter ID. Other IDs (such as a passport, school ID, and work ID) seldom came up, though participants in the North were more likely than those in the South to discuss other IDs. Only a very small number of participants voiced any third ID as a preferred ID. More participants in the South than the North said that they thought the national ID and the voter’s card were both critical IDs to have. Participants in the South were more likely than those in the North to recognize that the national ID and the voter card serve different purposes. Thus, for many in the South, the first response to the question of preference was that they would like to have both cards, as one is used to vote, and the other for a range of services and for identification; only on prompting would they voice a preference. In the North, participants were more likely to voice a preference without being prompted and were less likely to voice the fact that each ID serves a different, important purpose. Others in both the North and South said they preferred the national ID and stressed its multiple uses. In addition to the uses described above, participants also pointed out that unlike a voter’s card, the national ID never expires.36 Participants who did not have the national ID said they would like to get one as they thought it was the most important ID they could possess. The national ID card surpass[es] all of them [other IDs]. Can someone have his bath without soap? That’s the strength. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA [I prefer] national ID card … because when you go to the bank, they ask for national ID first before they ask for any other one. – Older women, urban Cross River State, Calabar Municipal LGA 36 The national ID card does actually expire, though the national ID number remains the same for life. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 34 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY The card of the boy scout, it belongs to a particular group. The card of the hunters belongs to a par- ticular group. The card of the bricklayers belongs to a particular group, but the one that combines the entire citizens of a country is the national identity card. This [the national ID] is to tell you wholeheart- edly that I’m a competent, bona fide citizen of this nation. So that is why the national ID card is of more importance than any other ID cards I can think of. – Older men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA It's [national ID] more important [than the voter’s ID], because there are some who do not go for casting of votes ... [but the national ID] is for everyone, and it’s important to every citizen and indicates where he comes from. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA Other participants said the most important card for them is the voter’s card because it allows them to exercise their voting rights. Voting cards could also be used as a means of identification and, in the South but not in the North, to collect money and other benefits from campaigning politicians. Participants also pointed out that the voter’s card gave them the power and the responsibility to remove bad government. It is voter’s card that will give me my power to change government, it is the voter’s card I will use to remove this one and put this one in. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA [I prefer the] voter’s card because it is like my sword, and I have the power to choose who will be my leader. – Older men, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA You know I haven’t collected my national ID card. I have my voter’s card with me and it’s very useful and I use it for voting; also I use as a means of identification ... to collect a loan, i.e., as a guarantor. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ilupeju LGA (CHECK) I prefer voter’s card because I can use it to gain something [money or other benefits] from the election. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Presently it is voter’s card [that I prefer] because it was used for voting and we used it to collect money. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Some participants in both the North and South also said that they liked the voter’s card simply because they do not have the national ID card. Participants did not always specify whether their choices would change if they had the national ID, but it is clear that without the national ID they feel that the voter’s card is their best option. Let me say [I prefer] voter’s card because I don’t have national ID card. Maybe if I have the national ID card it may change but now, I have the voter’s card. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA I don’t have the national ID card, I use the voter’s card whenever I need any means of identity. But, if I have the national ID card, I will prefer it. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 35 All are important but I prefer voter’s card because it is more useful to me and I don’t even have a national ID card. – Older men, pastoralists Voter’s card is better because I registered for the national ID card, me and my brother, but up to now we have not got the original copy. – Older women, urban Niger State, Chanchaga LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 36 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 4 BARRIERS TO REGISTRATION Photo Credit: © Oxford Policy Management Nigeria C h a pte r 3 : Awa re ness a nd Attitudes 37 CHAPTER 4: Barriers to Registration 4.1 Preregistration 4.1.1 Permission and women’s mobility outside the home Participants in FGDs made it clear that social norms about women’s roles as wives, mothers, and daughters meant that they could not leave the home as and when they wanted. In the North this view was universally held by both men and women participants. In both the North and South, it was commonly held that a man’s position as head of household meant that his permission had to be granted for a woman to go and register. Some older women in the South, and men and women in the North, said that husbands had the right to withhold permission and prevent their wives from registering. In contrast, while men might discuss their decision to register or inform their wives when they planned to go, it was universally agreed they did not need to ask permission. ... Men are the ones in charge because if it is your younger sister she is under your care, if it’s your wife you are the one that married her. If she is not married, she has an elder brother and as a man he can stay as the father in the family, no matter how small a man is if the father is not alive, he stays as the father. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Figure 6. Women’s interconnected barriers to accessing ID Permission Transport Time Time (childcare (household duties) duties) BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 38 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... the thing is this our country we are religious and we are have rules and regulations that govern all that, so many traditions before the women will go out some times is a big deal, the husband must know where she is going to or even me as an African man I will not allow my woman to go out like that without seeking permission from me and perhaps I don’t know where she went to? – Older men, urban Plateau state, Jos North LGA Moderator: Okay, for those that have registered for the national ID card, did you seek permission from anyone before going? Respondent: Yes, from our husbands. Moderator: What about the single ladies? Respondent: Yes, from our fathers. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Her husband is supposed to give the permission for her to go and register for an ID. He is the one that keeps her, and her family is under him. Because of that he has become an authority to them. – Older men, rural Kebbi state, Arewa Dandi LGA If her husband said she shouldn’t be registered, she have to be patient until when he’s back before she should go and get registered. – Younger men, urban IDP ... if you check, 50% of the women do not go out, they are always at home, there is no way they can move around to go and get it. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA Reasons for men denying women permission to register included men’s lack of awareness about the ID, their views that time spent registering would prevent women from completing household chores or caring for the children and, in the North, social norms around women’s mobility outside the home were also considered a reason why permission might be denied. For some [men] it may be ignorance. Some people they even visit the wife with appointment letter, and he got angry that they visited his wife. So, for anyone who does not understand and does not know the benefit of the registration, he may not allow. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... I think the husband does not understand the need for the card or what it can be used for. He might decide not to allow members of his household to register if he does not know the importance. – Older women, urban leprosy colony ... She may not have cooked or taken care of the house, the husband may not allow her to go in that situation. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA R: If she didn’t cook before leaving, it will be a problem. M: But if she cooks then it won’t be a problem? R: Yes, and also, she has to bathe her children and do some other chores. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 39 … if I am not well informed about something, there is no way I would allow my wife to engage in any- thing I am not aware of. – Older men, rural pastoralist … you can see that you may spend the night there and if it is a married woman she cannot go there and spend the night. ... You are checking just like you stayed a long time she will also stay a long time. And the town is not your own you see you will not leave your wife there. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA ... He will not allow her [his wife] to go alone to the place of doing national ID card ... unless they go in two or more. But some men will not allow her. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA Controlling behavior by men within marriage was also discussed. Both women and men both said that men were typically suspicious of extramarital relations and tended to strictly control women’s movements as a result. Men may also keep information about registration from their wives, or not want wives to register, for fear that it would lessen their control over their wives. ... the husband might not be living well with his wife and he can threaten her that if she goes out, he will do something to her. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA ... you know women are many. Some women, their eyes are outside looking for men. They can use the excuse of getting an ID card to look for men. – Older men rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA ... Some are jealous and afraid that their wife might be taken from them in the case of travel. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... Maybe they have misunderstanding at home and he want to punish her that she shouldn't go. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA In the North people thought child brides or younger wives might be denied permission to register or that they would face other barriers due to their lack of social status. When the ‘persona’ discussed by the FGD was a child bride, participants often thought that she might be looked down upon and treated with no respect or thought incapable of understanding or undergoing the process to register. NIMC regulations stipulate that a minor must be accompanied by a guardian; for a child bride this is often the husband as girls move from the parental home on marriage. Being denied the opportunity to enroll may be the highest barrier faced by child brides. We have a culture that we adhere to strictly in this village, if a woman turns thirteen (13) to fourteen (14) years of age, if she is grown, she will be married out ... and as a married woman she is expected to be submissive to her husband ... yes that’s right she is not allowed to perform her civic rights and also, she is not allowed to go strolling the streets. – Younger men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA ... she [a child bride] will face a lot of challenges, because she is minor, men will like to take advan- tage of her. – Younger men, pastoralist community BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 40 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... I will not allow her [a child bride] to register ... because she is a small girl, she might not even know the question that they will ask her. – Younger men, rural Gombe State, Nafada LGA ... she will have problem in leaving home because of her age and even going to face mockery from people because she is too small, and she is underage ... she is too young to handle pressure from people because even the big ones are not left behind in the hands of those [...] youths – Young women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA The importance of men maintaining their status as bread winner in the home and being able to make more money than women was also given as a reason why a husband’s permission could be denied. ... Because they [husbands] would want her to keep her money at home she should not go and regis- ter so that she will not use it to open account. – Younger men, rural Cross River State, Obubra LGA ... they might think the woman wants to be above you; he might assume the wife wants to outsmart him in a joint property of venture both of them share; he might think the woman wants to maneuver and take his portion or something like that. – Older women, urban leprosy colony If registration was considered arduous or stressful, husbands, sons, and daughters may dissuade their parents from going to register or want to be able to register on their behalf. ... Because she might not be educated, the children may ask her not to go to register. – Younger men, rural Cross River State, Obubra LGA ... The children might have reason to stop her from going because she is too old to go through the stress of the registration, that they will do it themselves. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA At the same time, most participants in rural and urban areas alike and across age and gender groups thought that there was little reason for a husband to forbid his wife to register. Husbands and fathers were also expected by many to encourage or advise members of their household to get an ID. In the North, men discussed accompanying women to register and providing them with transport or paying their fares and other associated costs. In the North, when focus groups discussed whether religion could be a barrier to women’s registration, on the whole people did not concur. Only a very few men (mainly in rural areas in the North) believed that a woman could not go out to register due to her religion. ... I don’t think there is any man that will ask the wife not to go and register for national ID card, be- cause is for you to identify yourself as an indigene of Nigeria, so your husband can never ask you not to do it. – Older women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA Under normal circumstances where a man and a woman understand each other, and there is peace, you will allow your wife to go and get it because it is for the good for the family... . – Older man, Abia State ... Yes, if something is announced, you in your house, with your wife, with your female children, you have to sit them down and give them awareness that'll lead them to go out and do all of that ... – Older man, rural Plateau State, Wase, Rugan Baji I: Is there any law in your religion that forbids women from going out for the registration? R: No, most of us are exposed and we know the importance of the registration. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Finally, only a minority said that women do not need to ask permission or to inform anyone about going to register. In the South, some participants said firmly that a woman neither needs to ask for permission, nor discuss or tell anyone if she wants to go and register. As a Nigerian, she is free to go for the card without seeking for anybody’s consent. – Older men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... if she feels like. If she does not feel like having a discussion with anyone, she can go for her thing. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA, ... despite their authority, they [husbands] have no right to stop the wife [from registering]. – Older women, urban leprosy colony BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 42 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Feature 1. Composite Persona: Hafsa’s Experience 37 I am 16 years old, married with a two-year-old child. Like for other young mothers, the process of acquiring a national identification card was not easy for me. This is due to a number of challenges that surround the registration process. First, I needed to prove that I was of age to register for the national identification. Second, in order to register, I also needed to first get permission from my husband. While my husband easily gave me permission to proceed with the registration process, there are some husbands in this community that were overprotective of their younger wives and wouldn’t give their wives permission, citing the fact that they may be wooed by other men. Some of my friends’ husbands say their wives are young and it’s not right for young women to go out alone. Others will not allow their young wives to go for the registration because they may not be comfortable with the registration staff, particularly men officers, holding their wives’ hand to thumbprint. In contrast men with adult or older wives may not have these concerns. Travels with her young child Seeks consent from husband to local government or king’s Returns home to enroll palace to get necessary breeder documents Queues at registration center Unable to register that day; for hours in the sun waiting Travels to the registration she returns home to be enrolled, but there are too many people Husband denies her Seeks permission from her permission saying she was Fails to get registered husband to try again gone too long last time and it’s not good for the child Once you have been granted permission by your husband, then you can go for the registration. However, you must have documents like the birth certificate or attestation letter from the community leader, local government, or king for identification at the registration center, which may not be easy to get for many of us. If you are lucky to have access to these documents, then you head to the registration center. I was lucky enough to get the documents I needed. At the registration center, I was confronted with the harsh reality that young mothers are not given special consideration by other persons going to register. There is always a long queue and I had to join this queue with my baby. There was no provision for shade for those registering, so we had to endure the long queues under the scorching sun. There were many, many people and the registration staff were overwhelmed by the big numbers. They paid no attention to me or the other vulnerable persons who were queueing. I was not able to complete the process on the first visitation. Now I don’t know if my husband will permit me to go for a second or third time; he may say that I stayed away too long on my first visit and that the travels and waiting may not be convenient for the little child. 37 This fictional persona was built based on responses to various focus groups in the same LGA. It represents a stylized journey likely to be typical for women of that LGA. C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 43 4.1.2 Transport and logistics The cost of transport was raised as a barrier to accessing IDs by men and women alike, by almost all rural communities, and by many urban communities, too. Poor roads, risk of road accidents, distance, travel time, and the need to take several forms of transport to get to the registration center were also considered barriers to registration. Some women raised their security as an issue related to long travel times. In some rural communities’ participants said transport fares were high enough to be prohibitive for most (N2,000–N6,000 round trip). Issues of security as well as the high costs also increase the chances that a husband will refuse permission to his wife to go register. ... our people in this community are farmers, there is no industry here, getting money to feed your household is difficult, then to transport yourself from here to our local government headquarters is far; you will spend nothing less than 1,000 naira. Think about what that amount of money means for someone who has three kids to feed. – Older men rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... and some of them [women from the community] did not go because of the distance and transpor- tation, including the payment; a lot of them find it difficult to go to the local government, because of transportation. Even if they go there, some of them will not be free because of the environment. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Sometimes, it is not safe for us to leave our home at that hour of the day, it is dark. – Older women, rural Plateau State, Jos North Honestly I don't like going to that kind of place because of the problems I encounter going to other towns like that. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA Moderator: Ok, why is it that transportation is not affecting men? (general laughter) Participants all answer: because they are men, they can trek. – Older women, urban Plateau state, Jos North LGA Poverty was raised by men and women alike as a barrier particularly impacting women and girls. For example, participants said poor women would find transport fares of even a few hundred naira a barrier to registration due to their responsibility for providing food for the family. ... by the time she considers to spend 400 naira and calculates how it will her feed her kids, at least to buy garri for her children for dinner, it will not be easy to spend 200 naira as transport fare for registration. – Older women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South ... she can't afford it [transport fares] at her level, what will her children eat, after spending N1,000.00, no. – Older women urban Abia State, Umuahia South ... the money she wants to use for her children will be reduced because she has to get to the regis- tration center and she gets there without being attended to. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 44 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Money [for transportation] will be an issue ... we pay N120 for going and N120 for going back. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Moderator: Why do you think some women don't get to register for a national identity card? Respondent: It is because some even don’t even go to primary school, they don't because of mar- riage and some honestly grow in a life that is not good ... they grow up in lack of money, in poverty honestly ... if they have money the father will know how to push his daughter to go and do this thing, but this money is giving a lot of problem. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA ... without it [registration for an ID] being made mandatory, she [a woman farmer] will not find time for it because she will use her time to look for what her children will eat. – Older women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA Participants thought transport fares created an especially high barrier for persons with disabilities. A commonly held view was that a person with a disability would need to be accompanied by their children or another family member, thereby doubling the transport cost. If family were not available, then a person with a disability would need to pay someone to assist them and cover the additional transport costs. Depending on the disability, more expensive forms of transport might be needed. Finally, some mentioned that vendors may refuse to transport persons with disabilities or charge higher fares. ... Since she's a disabled, she will face more problems, she will need the help of her children, they will have to bring her to the place on bike because there is no other person that will help her to do the fingerprinting, she has to do it herself and after she has done so, she will be taken back home by her children on bike. – Younger men rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA ... for a disabled person it is more difficult. If she finds someone that will lead her there, can she afford the person's fare, and also the double transportation. You know she will not go only once, so as many times as they require her to come, she will pay for her guide. So it is a big challenge for a disabled person. – Older men urban Abia State, Umuahia South ... well if she has the handicap tricycle, she can use it paddle herself there or any of her kids can push her there, but it will take like an hour and it will be stressful. The person doing the pushing would have taken three to seven pure waters on the way. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise Orun ... if a normal person spent 3,000, the cripple will spend 25,000, because will need a person that will escort her there, pay the person, feed the person. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... our okada riders when they see someone with leg issues, they don’t want to carry them because it hard for them to carry on the bike without assistance. So, they use high charges like 200, 300, or 500 to chase them with high price. – Younger women, rural Ekiti state, Ise/Orun LGA ... she will pay higher because of her disability. The challenge of her coming out from the house, struggling, and all that will be stressful to her. – Older women, urban leprosy colony C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 45 4.1.3 Time: Juggling household and childcare responsibilities Female participants frequently referred to women’s duties within the household and their inability to stay away from home for long periods of time as barriers to registration. Some male participants noted this constraint too. Many male and female participants agreed that women who were aware of the importance of having an ID or who used it to access government or private sector services would be willing to take time away from work to register. ... it will be difficult for her to go from here to that place to do it. It will be easier for her if they bring it to her village, because of the difficulty to afford the transportation fare and to leave her children because she does not know how long it will take her. – Older women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... it is not that I don't want to register but it is the time and the reason I should register that has held me back. – Older women urban leprosy colony ... More women are busy in the house and don't go out too often to far places; this could be a reason. – Older men, urban Abia state, Umuahia South LGA ... you have to be there by 5 am, but by 4 am, you find like 30 to 40 people and they will tell you, that they can only do 30 in a day. Now, women have to do their housework and get their children ready for school before they can come out, but, men on the other hand, especially bachelors will just wear their clothes and go, while the married men will leave their wives at home to do the cooking. – Older women, urban Plateau State, Jos North Women with children must organize their time well, often extending their working day to register and complete their domestic work. ... she has to wake up early to prepare their food, provide everything they will need for them when she's not around, and come back early before her husband returns back in the evening. – Younger women, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA ... she can do all her house chores before going if she's sincere about getting the card. – Younger women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA ... Now, women have to do their house chores and get their children ready for school before they can come out, but, men on the other hand, especially bachelors will just wear their clothes and go, while the married men will leave their wives at home to do the cooking. – Older women, rural Plateau State, Jos North ... her husband may say she must finish his laundry before going, she may also want to do her children laundry and wash the dishes. All that may delay her from going [to register]. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA Reciprocal arrangements for childcare with neighbors were often mentioned, as were leaving children with siblings, other relatives, co-wives and, less frequently, their husbands, but such arrangements are time limited. Most stressed that those with school-aged children would want to be able to complete registration while their children were in school. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 46 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... the kids may want her to return home on time so as to prepare their food. The husband will also want her to come back home early to prepare his meal. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... after preparing the children and take them to school and you know the challenges there normally are to get there [the registration center], they don't do that thing sharp, sharp for the person to be able to come back quickly, she will now think of coming back home to pick her children up again from school. Time is a challenge. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... before she goes she will take her kids to school, come to the express [road] to wait for transport for about 1 hr; she will get to the registration center around 2 o'clock and the queue she will meet will not permit her to register. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA For female entrepreneurs running micro or small enterprises, the loss of revenue meant that this group was particularly likely to delay registration, leave the center without registering, or not return to the center to complete registration. ... her mind will be on her business, it is possible customers had been waiting for her [when she goes to register], it is possible she is thinking I know how much I would have realized today. If she goes the first day, goes the second and experiences the same thing, she will not go there the third time. – Older men, urban Ekiti state, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... By the time she considers what it will cost her as in leaving her work, her duties at home to go and queue up, she might even get there and not be registered that same day. – Older women urban leprosy colony ... she may get there and her customers begin to call for her attention from the shop. This can make her agitated and discouraged from continuing the process. – Older women, urban Ogun state, Abeokuta North LGA 4.1.4 Compounding barriers faced by women and marginalized groups For women and girls, universal barriers of distance to travel for registration and transport costs are exacerbated by gender-specific constraints. Social norms about gender roles that allocate childcare and domestic work to women mean that women face time constraints and are less able to leave the home and can only be away from home for shorter times when they leave. Women’s time constraints and limited mobility are interconnected with social norms that create the risk that women are denied permission to register by their husbands or fathers. Child brides in particular have a high risk of exclusion because of social norms about women’s mobility and perceptions about women’s (lack of) need for an ID, which combine with more complicated enrollment requirements for people under 16 requiring the presence of a parent or guardian (in this case the husband) in order to complete the enrollment. For persons with disabilities, another marginalized group, transport costs may be higher if they have to pay for more expensive forms of transport due to their disability. They may also have to pay for someone to accompany them, doubling the costs of transport. For women with disabilities, barriers created by social norms are compounded by barriers created by travel costs. C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 47 Feature 2. Composite Persona: Elelubo’s Experience 38 Elelubo is my name; I am a 50-year-old married woman. I have five children (three boys and two girls). Four of these children are married while the youngest stays with me. I was inspired to register for the NIMC ID because as a business lady who deals in produce, I would need it for travels to the North or any other part of the country in search of a market for my commodities. Without this card, I may be deprived of that opportunity. Secondly, my customers may make payments for commodities through the bank. Without an identity card, the bank may not allow me to access the payment. The government also provides business grants to its citizens, and when registering people for these grants, they often ask for an identity card. Anybody who does not have a national card is not registered and therefore misses the grant opportunity. In order to be able to go and register for the national card, I will ask for permission from my husband as the head of the household and also seek guidance from my children. I often consult with my children before making some decisions. It is a common practice for women, especially the widowed or single mothers, to seek counsel from their children; that’s not to say that other mothers do not consult their children. It is believed that the children are sometimes more knowledgeable than us adults and have access to information about what happens in the community. It is through our children that we learn about how to go about certain improvements in our community. Seeks consent from Decides to register husband to enroll for ID in order to be Closes her business Travels by motorbike and discusses the able to travel and for the day to go to the closest center process and what will open a bank account register (cost N1,500) be needed with her for her business children Waits to hear from Completes registration Queues in hot sun NIMC but never Returns home by process and is told in a crowd for a receives message motorbike (cost they will call her to long time because that her NIN slip is N1,500) return for her NIN slip registration staff ready after 1-2 weeks open late One month after enrollment she closes She never heard her business and She receives her back about her travels back to the NIN slip ID card and never center (3,000 naira for returned to get it roundtrip transport) I have to ensure that I have the documents required for registration. These were announced at the meeting called by the town head prior to the registration process, that whoever is going for the registration should go with them. Despite the fact that I have gone for national identification registration before, I had heard from others that every registration process is different, so I decided to try again. This time around, I faced a couple of challenges. First, as a businesswoman, freeing time for registration from business was quite difficult. This was coupled with the fact that there were delays at the registration center due to large crowds and the staff not opening up registration on time. 38 This fictional persona was built based on responses to various focus groups in the same LGA. It represents a stylized journey likely to be typical for women of that LGA. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 48 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY The registration center was also located about two hours’ walk from here and cost about 1,500 naira to get there by a motorcycle. This is expensive for most of us and a very big discouragement. Also, there are few motorcycles around our town so it can be hard to find transport. The government had promised to open up a registration center here, but this has not yet happened. While I could have decided to walk this distance, considering my age, I would have been worn out to make a return journey. So, I opted to take a motorcycle. At the registration center, due to the large crowds, the shade provided was not enough for everyone, and therefore most of us had to wait under the scorching sun. There are often times when the system or network fails or when the equipment such as the biometric finger scanner malfunctions. These cause further delays. I was lucky and this did not happen. Thus, I was able to complete the process in one day and I got the registration receipt. But I know that many people are not successful on their first visit. The registration officer asked me to come back for the NIN slip after one or two weeks. They had promised to call but they didn’t. Due to transport challenges and my busy schedule, I was not able to pick up the slip until one month later. At the registration center, I was told that a NIN slip must be kept secured given the fact that without it, I can’t get the permanent card. I have kept my NIN slip very carefully, but I never heard back about my card and have not returned to the center to inquire about it. With the above registration process in mind, I think the government can make the registration process a lot more convenient if they, for example, bring the registration centers closer to us. They can bring it to the primary school located at the center of this community or they can go to the homes of people and have them registered there, given the fact that not all of them may be able to travel the long distance to the current registration point. Bringing the center closer to the community will make it easier for women to get their husband’s permission to register and to make time to do the registration. Being right there near us, so that we can run home if we forget a document, will also help the registering officers capture full and authentic information from each person being registered. 4.2 At the Registration Center 4.2.1 Long wait times in poor facilities Some registration centers do not provide enough shelter from the rain and sun, and registration centers can be hot and uncomfortable with no toilets and not enough chairs. These conditions were referred to most frequently by rural communities, but urban communities drew attention to them too. ... the population is too much for the shade provided. – Older men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA ... Moderator: Was there a tent to block out the sun? Participant: Ah, no. We all stood under the sun. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA ... we all queued in the sun. If you are lucky to fall under any shade, then it is just luck. Otherwise, you queue in the sun. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... you will have to stand because those who came early would have sat down. – Older women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... a woman going to register might have to stay in a long queue, even under harsh weather conditions. – Older women, urban Cross River State, Calabar Municipality LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 49 All participants viewed the long wait times and persistence needed to register as a barrier, sometimes creating gender specific barriers for women. For example, older men thought the long wait times and multiple visits to a registration center could be a reason for a husband to deny permission to his wife to leave the house to go register. For women, the time costs, sometimes combined with their perceptions of having little need for an ID, reduced their demand for IDs. ... when she went to do it [register], they said she should come back. After going a couple of times and she has not gotten it, I didn’t allow her to go again. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA We don't want a national ID card because the work involved in getting this card is too much. – Older Women, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA … women are not included in most things, and it has gotten to the extent that the women become worried as they're not included, then they feel discouraged and see no reason they should waste their time [registering for the national ID]. – Older women, rural Plateau state, Wase LGA ... she may not be able to go through the stress [of multiple visits] and because she may feel that the national ID card is not that useful she may decide not to go for the registration. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Mothers with nursing babies and small children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities find registration arduous. Some participants said that mothers were likely to have to take young children with them to the registration center. Lack of provisions for nursing mothers (privacy to feed and care for babies and shade from the sun) was frequently raised as a challenge. Participants thought travel and long times spent queuing would be arduous for mothers with a baby, older people, and persons with disabilities. ... A nursing mother will face challenges [getting to the registration center] due to the sun because of the baby and the places is hilly—lots of ups and downs. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... the problem she will encounter is her baby will be distracting her, look at the line it is much and she is standing, and it is possible the baby is crying and disturbing her, you see that is another thing. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA ... I should have collected mine since last year but because of the crowd, I got discouraged since I am old and do not have much strength. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North ... [a person with a disability] will also have to stay in the sun or rain also, that is double suffering. – Older men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA ... there was a scenario where an elderly had been waiting a long time and she complained of not being able to get water to drink and she was hungry; if she had known that it would take this long, she would have eaten says the woman. – Older women, rural Ekiti state, Ekiti East LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 50 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY In both northern and southern states, several participants thought that language barriers could pose challenges, especially for older men and women. ... English can be a barrier, language could be a barrier, when you get to the center, those in charge would speak big grammar to an old woman, she won’t understand. – Older men, urban Akwa Ibom State, Uyo LGA ... another challenge is the language barrier, because she can go to a zone where they are not hear- ing Igbo. And they will ask her if she is hearing English; if she doesn’t know English it is a challenge, like it happened to me sometime, some of the people that do the registration can be from Yoruba and other tribes, so I noticed that I had to stand in for her to be interpreting. As the woman was speaking in Igbo, I was interpreting to the workers in English. – Younger women, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA ... language is a barrier because the people who work there [at the registration center] do not speak Hausa and many of our people here do not speak English. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... some of them will speak English to us instead of our language and they also speak the same lan- guage but won’t speak it. – Older women, urban Cross River State, Calabar Municipal LGA Some participants thought that female applicants might not be able to provide all the information needed to complete the registration form. Some female participants who had registered reported finding the questions difficult to answer. Others, often older women, had taken their children with them to help them fill in the forms. In discussions young men also pointed to challenges faced by older women, and in the North men thought child brides would encounter problems. ... It is not all the old women that know their age ... and we know that her age is needed in the regis- tration. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... another thing that will be confusing will be how to answer the questions they will ask her if she is advanced in age. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... They can ask [a child bride] which town she is from, the name so and so, what is her number all this type of question can make her confused. Some have shyness when you ask them [child brides] questions, you will see them keeping quiet they cannot talk; honestly she can encounter these kinds of problems. – Older man, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA Her age might be a big challenge to her too because when she sees other mature people, it might affect her confidence. She may be asking for help in that process. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 51 Illiteracy was recognized by all as a barrier. As illiteracy rates are higher for women than men in Nigeria, women will be disproportionately affected. But many rural men thought that help would be on hand to assist those who could not fill the forms because they are illiterate. ... if she is someone that cannot read or write, then there is another problem. Because, assuming I am filling my own form, she may bring her own form for me to help her to do it and I may not be willing. Apart from that, many people are using the opportunity of illiteracy of people to make money, filling the form with naira 100. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... That’s the challenge [for someone who is illiterate], looking for someone to help fill in the form. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA ... If she can’t fill it herself the people there will help her out. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ndiokoroukwu LGA ... once [staff at the registration center] notice you are not capable, they start helping you. if they ask you to write and discover you cannot, they will help you. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA 4.2.2 Registration staff behavior Almost all participants thought that staff would make efforts to make registration easier and less time-consuming for the elderly, disabled, and pregnant and nursing mothers. In some FGDs, particularly (but not only) with older men and women, participants commented favorably on the attitudes and behaviors of the registration staff. ... they have good conduct, they were very respectful. Moderator: Do you all agree? Yes, they were very good. – Older women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... In the case of a blind person they will give them a cloth for easy identification, which makes them number one on the list to be attended to, anyone who is handicapped, they attend to them first. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... at the registration center, they allow old people, breastfeeding mothers, and pregnant women to be attended to on time before anyone else is attended to. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA ... But they [registration officials] are people that are merciful, and they will even appeal to the people on the queue to allow the disabled person to register first. – Younger9 men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA ... she may be able to get it within a day because people might have compassion on her and assist ... people do show compassion for disabled people in such gatherings. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 52 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... As long as she is disabled, they will give her preferential treatment, they will attend to her specially, like a disabled person, she will not waste time ... no, no, they will have to attend to her. – Younger women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA However, many thought staff rudeness or lack of consideration discouraged registration. Poor attitudes and behaviors of staff were bought up most frequently (but not exclusively) by young women and men. ... okay someone that wants to go do ID card now, the person might not really know very much about the something, you will go to certain office but some people will just bring up some nonchalant attitude ... it is not everybody that can bear insult, the way those people will address at times might discourage. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Itapa ... some personnel are not welcoming, just like when she [an older woman] is asked of her age and she is trying to remember or maybe she is not sure, the personnel may shout at her or become un- pleasant; older women become displeased with this kind of attitude and get discouraged. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... another thing she can face at the office is the approach of the staff there. Maybe this woman has children and may be thinking of how to take her children from school, if she makes an attempt to hurry them because of her children, the staff there might show her bad attitude; that kind of a thing is a very wrong approach and is capable of discouraging people. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... They treat people with disdain, as if you have gone to beg for money; I have had instance where I spent my money to get things done there. Some of the staff transfer aggression. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... if the people registering are tired, they get furious when they tell you to do something, and you do it the wrong way. They will blame you for every single mistake, even if it’s unintentional. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... at times they do say such women, people living with disabilities, they [NIMC officials] should take care of them but then some workers, some agents do not fulfil that type of rules. – Older men, persons with disabilities (visually impaired) Staff were absent from the registration centers, according to participants from several communities. ... the staff are not serious with their job, they see it as they are doing you a favor and they can leave you there and go for breaks or school runs. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... sometimes they will say they are on break leaving people on the queue for as long as 2 hours. When you decide to go there early enough, they will not show up until midday ... civil servants start work by 8.00 am but in their case they resume [start] by 11:00 or 12:00 noon. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 53 ... she might get there again and meet a large crowd, or the staff may not be on site. You know, civil servants. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... well you know the workers to have their own problems ... you can go and find out they haven't arrived; you will see the seat vacant with no one. You are supposed to go there and meet them, but you have to end up waiting for them. – Younger women, persons with disabilities (visually impaired) In the North several participants expressed displeasure with the fact that their wives or other women in the household may be registered by a man, saying it was something frowned upon by their religion. However, this view was not universally held, and some men did not object to a male official registering the women in their household if it was clear that this was the purpose, if the husband’s permission had been granted, or if it was done in their presence. The truth is that I won't be pleased with it [someone holding his wife’s hands for fingerprints], this is the reason I suggested that the registration should be done within the communities so that if your wife is going for it, you can accompany her and assist her when the need arises. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA I will prefer a female staff holding my hands. – Younger women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA I understand the importance of having the card and he is not holding her hands with other intentions. – Older men, rural pastoralists We take our women to the hospital and it is a male doctor that sees them. This [NIMC ID registration] is something they have gone to do without any ill intentions at heart. – Older men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA To me, there is no problem ... because that one only helped her in thumbprinting, which will bring progress to her. – Younger men, rural Plateau state, Wase LGA 4.2.3 Informal payments and bribery Participants in FGDs from all southern and northern states reported payments and bribes as a barrier to registration. Many participants said they were asked to pay for fuel for generators or make payment for photographs.39 While payments for fuel were not always considered a barrier, participants pointed out that having to pay even small amounts of money created barriers for the poor who will weigh up these costs against other, higher priority expenditures. And those that were unable to contribute to the cost of fuel risked not being registered. ... Women work, a lot of them are petty traders and market people so they leave home very early to be able to register and then go about their business. So, you see, when they get there but can’t be registered because of corruption, they get discouraged (okay) for some it’s the bottlenecks that stops them from registering. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA 39 Small payments for NIN slip lamination (100 naira) were mentioned, but it should be noted that these services are offered by independent entrepreneurs not by NIMC staff. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 54 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... They collect 200 naira from us for the fuel. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... when I went, the money is not much, they said we should just give them money to buy fuel for their generator, at least 100 naira. I gave them 100 naira; I think is what everybody can afford. – Younger women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... so anybody that want to register, you will drop 500 naira. They use the money to buy fuel for the generator. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... the easiest way is if you have something in your hand, if you have money, if not you will have to visit every day. But if you don’t have the money then it is a must that you must go to the back. – Older man, persons with disabilities (visually impaired) ... another issue is on getting to the center the enrolling officer will not look down on you as a nobody thinking this person will not have a bribe for them. – Older women, rural Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA ... It [the bribe] is not too much but there are other responsibilities to feed the children, send children to school. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA ... if you don’t have that money, they will not attend to you; it is those that paid for the fuel that they registered. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA People reported that officials asked for larger payments for registration, often as much as 1,000 naira. Sometimes side payments were made to officials to expedite the process. However, no fees are charged for any part of the registration process by NIMC. ... when I went there I didn’t know I was going to pay a fee and I didn’t have any money on me that very day so we were told to come back with our money for the registration ... it was a lot of money for me to pay because I went there to get I and my children registered. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA ... the last time I went there they demanded for 1,000 naira ... they said it is the fee. – Younger men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... Is it this white slip [NIN slip], they requested for money, then I now pleaded with them and told them I don't have much money, they now asked me how much am I with, I now tell them look at what I have, they now ask me to pay that. – Younger women, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... if they see you and realize that you have money, you will pay even 1,000 naira. – Older man, persons with disabilities (visually impaired) C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 55 ... my boss at work even sent me to help him collect his ID card on his behalf; he had to give them 1,000 naira before they could register it for him, and even I went there, they ask for 200 naira for fuel. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... the form is 1,000 and if you give extra money, 2,000 or 2,500 naira, they can finish it in one day. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA ... I needed it to do something urgently, they said I should come back that the machine is not good, I went back the next day, they said I should pay three thousand naira to fill the form. – Older women, urban Cross River State, Calabar Municipality LGA Finally, participants noted that even if staff did not ask for money, they would exhibit favoritism and ignoring queues, bring their kinsmen or other known persons to the front of the line. ... Some people, like these big people, you may wake up early in the morning and go on join a queue but them, they may even stay at home and make a call and they send their people over to these centers and they will be registered before you who’s been there all this while. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA I felt so bad and discouraged (laughter). In fact, this is clearly corruption, we’ve been there since morning and then somebody will just come and register before you and leave. – Older women, urban Plateau State, Jos North 4.2.4 Lack of supporting documents Possession of supporting documentation was often raised as a barrier to enrollment, although it is not the most significant barrier and it is not a barrier for everyone. A lack of knowledge about documents needed to enroll for the ID, as well as a general lack of birth certificates, were noted as issues nationwide. For many, getting supporting documentation added time and cost to an already time-consuming and expensive process. In the South, some people felt this barrier could be surpassed if one had enough money. Payments for documents and/or transportation ranged from 90 to over 1,000 naira, thus being unaffordable for some. Missing documentation was occasionally used to extract bribes. In the North, participants especially advocated for alternative solutions to procuring supporting documents. The time I went there I left my voter’s card at home; when I went to Sokoto there at Koffa road, that is where they do it their office is there, they told me I have to go back and bring it or to go to the court and collect a paper of proof of indigene. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA There are those [documents] that it will not be a problem to get, like an identification letter, there are those that it can be a problem. – Older men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Many people may not have that [a birth certificate], it is just about 20–30 years ago that they started keeping records of birth certificates. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA [If] she is not born in the hospital so it [birth certificate] will be hard to get. – Older men, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 56 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Thing is sometimes this indigeneship certificate, you may pass days processing it ... for example, before you even go to the local government, you have to go to your village head and district head to sign before you go there to sign, it might take you some days. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA ... they told us come with the voter’s card, but we didn’t go with it, so they told us to pay four hundred naira. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA 4.2.5 Issues capturing biometrics Capturing photographs of women was also raised as a barrier in the North. In the more conservative parts of the North, the hijab is commonly worn by women. Some men and women voiced concern with women being asked— especially by men—to remove their hijab to be photographed for the national ID. Some thought it acceptable for women to remove their hijab at registration if the husband permitted his wife to do so, while others said it was acceptable because it was required for the national ID registration. If a female is the one who will tell her to take off her hijab there is no problem, but if it is a man, I will be angry. – Older men, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA There was a time ... when they wanted to take my passport [photo]. I set my head and they said it’s not okay... . And they said I must remove my hijab. I really felt somehow at that moment. – Younger women, rural pastoralists In both the North and South many had experienced problems while trying to get fingerprinted. Often problems occurred because fingerprints may be damaged from the kind of work a person does or because their hands were not clean enough. A few were afraid of fingerprints being misused. One participant from an FGD with older men in rural Abia (Umuahia South LGA) feared that an “anti-Christ” might use his and his family’s fingerprints to gain information about them. In the North, the cultural practice of painting henna on hands can also inhibit fingerprinting. Responses from pastoralists and IDPs were similar to those of other groups. ... some people will get to the registration office, but the thumbprint device can’t capture their finger- print. And if it cannot capture you fingerprint several times, they will not register you, you’ll just have to come back home. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... the stress of thumbprinting discourages them. I knew a man, he’s a farmer, who try to register 8 times he went there, yet he did not succeed because the scanner could not read his fingerprint; due to that he gave up the registration. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA They also have to thumbprint and if the hand is not well cleaned, we will be asked to do the finger- printing over and over again; those are the few challenges that I see in this process. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA I remember a certain man while his fingerprint was to be captured it became difficult for the machine to pick up his fingerprint because of the type of job he does with his hands; he is a bricklayer. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 57 Moderator: So, what are your fears? Participant: This fingerprint we are talking about can be... . How do I put this, can be used to get one’s identity or personality through it. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... some of us whose hands was coated with henna had to scrub it off so that their fingerprint was captured. – Older women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA People suffering from leprosy found fingerprinting particularly problematic. Participants living in the leprosy community said that they did not face any discrimination. However, many had to go several times to try to be fingerprinted. Registration officials tried their best to overcome this barrier: some took photographs to attest to the impossibility of fingerprinting, while others asked their managers for advice. ... At the end they had to [take a picture of] our hands to indicate that we are lepers, then they will send it. When they get a response, that is when they issue us the [NIN] slip. ... I have been to the registration center over five times. I went to several places just to get registered but every place I visited my thumbprint was rejected. ... I suffered during my registration process. The device keeps rejecting my thumbprint, the person in charge had to ask them to [take a photo of] my hand to indicate my disability. I went to [the registra- tion center] over thirty times. – Men, leprosy colony 4.2.6 Compounding barriers faced by women and marginalized groups Universal barriers, such as long wait times Figure 7. Compounding barriers for persons with disabilities in poor facilities, poor staff behavior and bribes, and lack of supporting documents, compound for marginalized groups and Additional barriers for women with disabilities such as: Getting permission to enroll + childcare and household women and girls. Long wait times and work + perceptions of women’s need for ID multiple visits raise barriers for women who face time constraints and are unable to leave home for long periods of time. Poor facilities Additional barriers for persons with disabilities combined with long wait times are particularly such as: hard for elderly people, pregnant and nursing Higher cost of travel for person with disability + mothers, and persons with disabilities (see costs for an accompanying person Figure 7), something often recognized by + issues capturing biometrics enrollment staff who try to do what they can to help. Women’s higher likelihood of illiteracy, Universal barriers such as: and for some groups of women their lack of Informal fees/bribes + familiarity with dealing with officials in public rude/unhelpful staff + spaces, compound the difficulties of the long wait times + registration process. In the North social norms lack of documents + cost of travel + about women’s interaction with men outside distance the family affect women’s registration and the ability to capture biometrics. Bribes and lack of supporting documents create barriers to registration for all, but for women and some BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 58 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY marginalized groups (e.g., pastoralists, persons with disabilities) having the money to pay bribes and time and money to procure supporting documentation is particularly challenging. Figure 8 summarizes the compounding barriers faced specifically by women and girls before and at registration, and how these are compounded for women from marginalized groups. Figure 8. Compounding barriers for women and girls Additional barriers for women from specific or marginalized groups: Elderly women or women with disabilities may require additional transport or costs for support to get documents or need to pay for an accompanying person + Persons with disabilities may have difficulties capturing certain biometrics + Social norms about removing hijab for photos or interactions with men during registration for women from the North Additional barriers for women generally: Getting permission to enroll + Pregnancy/childcare and household work or time constraints + Perceptions of women’s need for ID + Greater difficulty getting documents Universal barriers: Informal fees/bribes + rude/unhelpful staff + long wait times + lack of documents + cost of travel + distance 4.3 After Registration 4.3.1 Multiple visits required to receive a NIN slip and an ID card Participants said that they needed to visit the registration center at least twice to receive an ID. Almost all participants said that after receiving their NIN slip, they were required to return to the registration center to collect their ID card. Although some participants said that it was possible to be issued a NIN slip in one visit, many more said two or three visits would be needed to complete the registration process. Long wait times due to queues or having to return to the center because of power failures, fingerprint machines not working, or lack of connectivity were commonly given as the reasons why registration for a NIN would require more than one visit. Given issues with permission, transport, childcare, and housework, women were less likely than men to be able to make repeat visits to complete registration; however, men were also discouraged at times. ... Maybe she can go today and see that people are much, what remains of today, if she didn’t finish it and get it, she will come back the next day, that’s when she will get it. If she goes twice, she can get it due to long queue. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA C h a pte r 4 : Ba rrie rs to Registration 59 ... Our going and coming back without the card all the time is unpleasant... . [A woman] will have to go to the center 3 or 4 times, and when she gets tired, she will not go again. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... you will hardly see people going to collect this card; the process is very, very tedious; I recall the experience of one of my friends, when he applied for this. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA When you come you will see about a hundred people at a time and probably under the sun, and when you calculate the time they will spend, then you will definitely feel reluctant to wait. You will then leave with the hope of coming back another day, and when you come again you will likely expe- rience the same thing and before you will realize, you will get tired of the whole idea. – Older men, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 60 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5 PARTICIPANTS’ PROPOSED SOLUTIONS © World Bank C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 61 CHAPTER 5: Participants’ Proposed Solutions Box 6. Summary of proposed solutions • People universally voiced the need for greater awareness raising about NIMC ID registration, including: why an ID is useful, where and how to enroll, what is required to enroll, that ID enrollment is free, and, especially, why enrolling is important for everyone, not just men. • Word of mouth (particularly via community leaders) and radio were the two overwhelming suggestions of channels via which to spread awareness. • Raising awareness of community leaders and men was key to lifting gender-based barriers. As gatekeepers, men need to be informed of the value of ID for women and girls so that husbands and fathers are convinced to grant them permission to enroll. • The logistical barriers to enrollment, such as distance, transport, cost, and time, could all be solved by bringing registration closer—whether through more enrollment centers in communities or the use of mobile or temporary registration campaigns. • Closer proximity of enrollment points would lift many barriers, which are more severe for women, by easing their time burden, allowing them to stay closer to home, and reducing indirect costs. • Closer proximity of enrollment points could shorten time away from home and reduce the risk that husbands would seek to prevent their wife’s from registering. • To improve the registration experience, people recommended: streamlining the amount of information collected and the documentation required; holding staff accountable to higher standards of behavior with regard to working hours, bribe taking, and general treatment of enrollees; priority or segregated registration for certain key groups who struggle under the current enrollment regime (e.g., women who practice purdah, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities); and hiring female registration officers and people from the local community (including persons with disabilities) to carry out registration. 5.1 Preregistration 5.1.1 Increasing registration rates for the national ID through awareness raising Nationwide, raising awareness about the NIMC ID and the enrollment process was frequently viewed as the primary solution to increasing ID registration rates and for lifting gender-specific barriers faced by women. When asked to suggest the best ways of reaching all types of people in both rural and urban areas, by far participants in both the North and South said that word of mouth is the most effective medium (see Box 7). This was closely followed by suggestions to use radio throughout the day to deliver messages about ID enrollment. Others such as television, printed media (e.g., newspapers, posters, or flyers), and social media were less frequently mentioned, and some presented challenges in terms of reach due to illiteracy and lack of access to mobile phones. Youth seemed to BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 62 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY believe social media (e.g., Facebook, WhatsApp), and even bulk SMSs, were good ways to reach people. The clear take away from Box 7. Channels for awareness raising the discussion was that use of multiple media is needed to reach everyone in the community. 1. Word of mouth  2. Radio  Word of mouth is by far the preferred method for spreading awareness about the NIMC ID and the enrollment process 3. TV nationwide (Table 2). Community leaders (e.g., chiefs, kings, 4. SMSs and social media emirs/emirate council, district heads, etc.) could be informed about upcoming ID enrollment drives so that they would pass the 5. Printed media  message to their constituents through community meetings, town criers, town union executives, women’s leaders, youth leaders, and so forth. Table 2. Spreading awareness through word of mouth ... if they inform our district head (mai anguwa), he will spread it all over. – Younger women, rural Plateau State, Wase LGA ... most especially if you can meet the king, he is the only one that can call the whole community. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... if the information gets to the village head, he will give instruction to the town crier to announce it that some people are coming to see us, then everyone will come out. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA Community ... the village head can gather people and talk to them about the importance of registration, leaders you cannot go and talk to people without him giving the go ahead. – Younger men, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA Yes, women leader, they can call the women and ask them to get permission from their husbands. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA Every community chairman should assemble his people and tell them the day, time, and venue where the registration will take place. – Younger men, urban IDP ... town criers in remote areas... . “Eh! The leader has said... .”. That’s how they do it. – Younger women, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) ... like that time of registration of voters, the town crier is given the information and he goes Town criers and round the community telling people if you know your daughter is so, so age, tell them, both traditional means your daughter and your sons to go out and register. of communication – Younger men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA When you go to this place, there are people with traditional communication means. They have drums, they will go round the village announcing that so-so thing is happening at the primary school, every woman and man should come out and register for it. – Younger men, rural Niger State, Katcha LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 63 They should do physical advert by sending out agents to go about informing people. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Just like during vaccination process where a man rides on a motorcycle with a public address system and then makes the announcement, so it should be for the rural settlement. – Older women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA Hired agents ... we can’t forget when Government collaborate with other countries and brought polio [vaccine] to Nigeria, they went to all corners of the state creating awareness, we were rejecting them, but they kept coming every day until their aim was achieved. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA ... they can also use mobile agents that go from one house to the other, that will also give job opportunity to the unemployed. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... if at all there is a meeting that concerns men, when I get home from the gathering, I will inform my wife that this was what I heard from the meeting. Like my own community for now [...] it is my wife that attends the meeting of landlords. I have other assignments [...]. Then when I get back home, “my dear, how fared today?” and she will explain what happened in the meeting. So, the steps we need to take as a family, we would be able to take them. – Older men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA We will inform ourselves from door to door. Friends and – Older women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA family ... honestly through our friends and neighbors in the community, not through radio because some of us don’t have radio to listen to while some of us don’t have television or mobile phone to get information. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Just as you have gathered about 8 of us from each household, we will pass the information at our household level. – Younger men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA In terms of locations where people can be reached by word of mouth, people said “they will announce in church, in mosque, in market, even in the schools” (older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye). Men could be reached in beer parlors (in the South) and “joints” (in the North) where they gather. Both men and women could be reached through places of worship (churches and mosques), though participants in the South suggested women are more likely to attend church and participants in the North noted men are more likely to hear through the mosque. Women in the South are much more likely to be reached by announcements in public places such as markets, schools, etc., than women in the North, who were more likely to hear through their husbands and by word of mouth between women (Table 3). Table 3. Locations to reach people through word of mouth ... churches are important because there are some men and women that go to church. When the pastor announces it in church, he will encourage them to see the reason why they are calling. – Older men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Churches and ... they can pass the information to churches, imams, and markets. mosques – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... the imam will pass the information, after mosque the men will to their wife. – Younger women, rural Plateau State, Kanam LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 64 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... they [women] will listen and they will even come home to tell us [men] that they said this and that in the mosque. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA ... they will move round the market and announce it with public address system. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... they can just take like few minutes to give announcement about the program [on market days]. Those who came from towns and villages will hear and also spread the news. Markets – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... marketplace is where you do your normal transactions so nobody will want to give you hours or minutes of their time. But through the King, churches, and mosques I think that is the best place. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA Participant 2: If you go through their head mistress or principals, they will inform the students during their morning assembly. Participant 4: and the children will take it home to their parents. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA Schools ... some children may forget to tell their parents/guardians when they get home; the church idea is way better than telling students. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Also, you give a kind of letter to the hospital so as they can announce it to them, the staff, you know some of us are no longer going to the hospital, we might hear it from our devotion or Hospitals something. – Older women, urban leprosy colony ... when people go to banks, they refer them back to register for the national ID card, so I think the Banks bank can be a means of spreading information. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Isu/Orun LGA In the North, an outreach through mosques was encouraged, but participants pointed to the village head as being a more appropriate method of outreach than the imam. ... the Imam, he is only concerned with how he can lead the people religiously, do you get it? But the village leader is the one that will bring his people together and tell them “Okay, this is what the government wants.” – Older men, rural IDP Again, our mosques here might not encourage women to go and register because they don’t know the benefit of the card. – Older women, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Radio was the next most frequently suggested medium via which to raise awareness in both the North and the South. Participants of all ages and from both rural and urban areas in the South felt that community leaders and their constituents all listen to the radio. It is important to play messages at different times in the day, but particularly early in the morning and late in the evening when people are not at work or out working in their gardens. In the North there was some disagreement about whether men or women were more likely to listen to radio, and whether most people owned a radio. However, many participants felt this was still a good way to reach women as they would either hear it themselves on the radio or hear it from their husbands who listen to the radio. C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 65 People mostly listen to the radio early in the morning and sometimes later in the evening ... even when some are working on the farm, they keep listening to radio. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... when we are working, we listen to radio on phone. – Older women, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA I think radio stations is the best way to create awareness, because if one or two women hear about through radio, they would tell others. – Older men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA Radio announcement is the easiest because almost everybody listens to the radio, sometimes if the town criers are used, someone may not be in the community at that moment. – Older women, rural Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA After word of mouth and radio, television was often mentioned by both rural and urban participants in the South and a few participants in the North, though some felt that this would be ineffective. Media houses should pass the information, that is NTA nationwide. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA It [television] wouldn’t work that much because people don’t watch NTA like that; it is foreign chan- nels they watch the most. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Look at that television over there, it has been there for a long time without being repaired so I don’t think the television is a good idea. Besides, not everyone in localities even have televisions. – Older men, rural pastoralist Social media and even bulk SMSs were thought to be good ways to reach people by both rural and urban people, especially youth in the South. Participants felt everyone has access to a phone and that younger people can help those who are elderly or illiterate to understand messages passed via social media. In the North there was a similar call from some young people to utilize social media. Yes, through smartphones which everyone have. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA I will use social media, like Facebook or Twitter and inform people the importance of it [...] I will tell those that don’t have a phone or we can find other solutions to that ... or even sending text message will be of good help. – Younger women, rural Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA ... bulk SMS was sent for the national voter’s card. – Younger men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 66 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Written forms of media like newspapers, posters, billboards, and flyers or handbills were not seen as effective ways to communicate by almost all participants nationwide. Participants of all ages in the South said that people do not stop and read and noted that some are unable to read. In the North some thought that literate people would help others to read. However, this was not a popular method of outreach in the North, particularly for women who don’t move about the community as often as men. Not everyone can read and also not everyone has the time to go stand and read posters. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA If it is in the newspaper nobody will read the newspaper. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... it can be written on a paper and be pasted in each community. So sometimes, when the learned people are reading it, those that are not learned can ask them what it is about. – Younger men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA Box 8. Key informants’ perspectives on raising awareness Government officials from the State Ministry of Women Affairs, women leaders, religious leaders, and community or traditional leaders like kings and chiefs are particularly well placed to raise awareness. Key informants from these groups saw it as their duty to pass information to their communities or constituencies and stressed the need for enrollment information to be communicated through them for maximum effectiveness. As a youth leader my role firstly is to mobile people to let them know how important it is, and secondly to use media to create awareness. (Youth leader, Sokoto State) So, I see it as my responsibility as a religious leader in my community that any good government policy, coming from the government, I have to drive the information. I serve as their mouthpiece in some certain extent. (Religious leader, Ebonyi State) I feel my role as a leader is for me to talk to the women, talk to the youths, talk to the elderly women, the widows and I would also give them a duty, a role to play to go to the society proclaiming the gospel, ministering to people, you could also teach them, it is part of preaching, telling them their right. (Religious leader, Akwa Ibom State) There are so many ways that I can create the awareness. I can convince them in so many ways. I can tell them that a benefit is coming which they will require the national ID card. (Women leader, Ekiti State) We usually go to a lot of gatherings/workshops, and while at them, we use to tell the ladies that whatever is beneficial to them [...]. You see, things like going to the hospital, going to immunization places, going to national ID card registrations, voter’s card, all these things we tell them about. We tell them that when you acquire it, it’s like a privilege to you and us, because anything that will benefit Sokoto State, is a benefit to us. (State Ministry of Women Affairs, Sokoto State) I have local chiefs, 5 people that are under me I will call them; I will say what I want with you is you go and get your religious leaders both Christians and Muslims send this message. As a local chief you have the right to call religious teachers together and tell them here is a message, we want to deliver to people. Knowing that this thing is from government they will announce it, the same with the pastor he will announce it, or if they like they can call for gathering in front of the community leader’s house and say there is a gathering that they will do for registration. (Traditional leader, Gombe State) C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 67 5.1.1.1  Increasing registration rates among marginalized groups The solutions proposed to lift barriers faced by all address a lot of the barriers faced by marginalized groups too; nevertheless, some participants suggested additional ways to improve outreach to persons with disabilities, IDPs, and pastoralists specifically. For persons with disabilities, participants nationwide stressed that multiple types of media must be used due to the differing nature of disabilities. Persons with disabilities in the South felt that information about the ID acquired through social media, the radio, or television would be passed along to others via sign language, for example. Now most of us are on social media, we have social media like Twitter, Facebook. We can use televi- sion and radio. If we use television and radio, we can also sign to reach a large population. – Older woman with a disability, rural Akwa Ibom State Those people that can hear and talk are the ones that will inform [the deaf] ... they will be using signs for them ... they will write a paper for them to read. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA Mosque, if they make announcement during the early hours of the day even if we do not hear it, our husbands will hear it and tell us. – Women, rural leprosy colony For IDPs nationwide, word of mouth from community leaders and trusted sources, starting with the IDP chairman of the camp was again the most preferred method of outreach. Religious, youth, and women leaders were also mentioned as effective means of outreach via gatherings of the IDPs and via church or mosque attendance. To reach IDP women in particular it was also important for information about the importance of ID to go through their husbands and the camp chairman. If you come around, meet with our leaders in the IDP camp and they will make the announcement so as to reach us because they know where to find us and we know where to find them. – Older women, rural IDP They should go into the nooks and crannies of the community so as to inform the community. – Younger men, urban IDP ... they should sensitize the husbands, they are the ones that will let their wives to go out and get registered. [...]. When the husband tells his wife to go out and get registered at the secretariat, she will not argue with him. – Younger men, urban IDP For pastoralists, too, it was critical to employ word of mouth, particularly due to issues of trust. As with the other groups, men and women had existing meeting points or avenues for getting information that should be utilized to spread the word about registration. Radio was considered a secondary channel for spreading information, though some cautioned that not everyone would trust what they hear on the radio. We have where all the men do meet and we can talk to ourselves there in a way that the information will be passed. – Older men, rural pastoralist BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 68 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... make provision for women teachers to educate our women more on the importance so that they will be more comfortable since their fellow women are teachers. – Older men, rural pastoralist ... anything that has to do with radio, it is possible for me to hear and say it’s talk from radio, but for example, if the community member comes and is talking, they’ll better take his words. – Younger men, rural pastoralist Not everyone would hear it because there are people who do not own a radio. There are people when they hear it, they will say it is a lie. – Younger men, rural pastoralist 5.1.1.2  Solutions for closing gender gaps Ways proposed for raising awareness for all can be tailored to close gender gaps. Word of mouth when delivered from an authoritative and trusted source was thought to be a particularly good way to ensure that women would hear about the ID. We can call for women meeting to get everyone informed and even those that didn’t come, we will make sure they are aware about the outcome of the meeting. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA First thing is to see the village head who would in turn call the leader of the women forum that this thing is important for the women, they should all come out, and woman leader would pass the infor- mation to all women that by a certain time, come to certain venue, and do the registration. – Older men, urban Akwa Ibom State, Uyo LGA Participant: The chief sometimes do send his messengers to go around the community and inform community members. Moderator: I thought men are not allowed in the houses? Participant: Yes, but in an occasion such as this, [they] are allowed more especially if the message is from the chief. – Older women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA Women to be employ[ed] to go from house to house to sensitize the women, just the way the mos- quito net is shared [distributed]. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA ... the community head can announce it in the community that there would be so and so exercise on a particular day, and then the husband tells his wife and the wife tells her friend or neighbor and so on. – Older women, rural Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA Women leaders have a particularly important role in the North in terms of reaching women, as they are allowed to move around the community and visit women in their homes. While northern community leaders seemed less likely to call women to gather at community meetings, awareness spread by women’s networks in the community was noted. C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 69 ... it has to be a woman that should go and sensitize them. Her going there should be to celebrate with them and then use the avenue to create awareness; if it’s not celebration [like naming or wed- ding ceremony], women don’t come out in this community. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA They [women] can go inside their houses and enlighten them on the importance of the registration in a way they will comprehend it. – Younger men, rural pastoralist Her job for example like when there’s election, or any benefit coming from the government during this time [...] this woman leader is their spokesperson and their middle person that connects them to the government or traditional leaders. [...] this will help a lot if she can go from house to house to sensitize them. She has the freedom to do so. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Some of them [women] have friends in the community. After registering they will tell them about it and where they do it and she will advise her to do too. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA ... we have not experienced community leaders giving women information [directly through a meet- ing] before. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Raising awareness among men was considered a potentially effective way to increase women’s registration, too. Participants from the South, and many from the North, thought that if men were given information about IDs they would raise awareness with women in their families and grant them permission to register, though not all agreed. In the South, participants felt that men might prevent their wives from registering due to “ignorance,” therefore enlightening them about the importance of the ID, the process of registration, etc., would help them to realize it was important for their wives (and daughters), too. This view was echoed in the North where the majority of participants felt that women would hear about registration primarily from their husbands rather than any other means. My husband will inform me. We have parents who will inform us. – Younger women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA They can go to the mosque and announce it after early morning prayers, her husband must hear it [to give permission]. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... if you have a wife it’s your duty to go and tell her about the importance, just as you have come here to enlighten us we too will do the same. – Younger men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA In a family house for instance, when the husband informs the wife, the wife will also inform the younger ones in the house which will include the unmarried ladies. – Older women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 70 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Participants also stressed that specific actions to reach women are needed. In the South in particular, women were recognized to be very busy, so awareness raising that gets their attention is key. ... women always like to get involved which makes them very busy. Early in the morning, they are leaving their house to the farm, then later they go back and prepare the kids and just like that. So if they can get their attention, talk to them to create time for the registration because it is important, I think it will help. – Woman with a disability, urban Akwa Ibom State In the South, churches and political party meetings were frequently suggested as the best venues to reach women, as women reportedly attend church more often than men and are quite involved in politics. Most of our women are politician, so I think the announcement can be made at their party meeting. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ise Orun LGA The women leaders are more effective than men. So, they will [pass] the information easily. Also, in the church, the women leaders are the ones to spread the news to other women. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA You know women, they place value on pastors and reverends, so whenever their pastor or reverend is talking, they take anything their pastor or reverenced say serious. So, in this case, church is good. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA 5.1.2 Motivating people to enroll Lack of knowledge and information about the importance of the ID is a critical barrier. In both the North and South, almost all men and women from both urban and rural locations suggested raising awareness on the importance of the national ID, how it differs from the voter’s card, and tying the ID to some form of incentive or service. People need to be convinced before they show interest. [...] Some people will say they have no need for the card so nobody would bother them. But when advocacy is increased, and people see solid evidences they will be encouraged. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... they should meet with the village heads of communities and mandate them to inform their subjects that it is important for everyone to have the national identity card. If they are well sensitized, they will know the importance of having the ID card. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA They should make people aware of the benefits involved in the collection of the national ID card and how it can help in the future of their children. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA Southern participants frequently highlighted the need to inform people about the difference between the national ID and the voter’s card. They expressed the opinion that knowledge of the difference between them would encourage people to enroll for the national ID even if they already have a voter’s card. C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 71 You know voter’s card and the national Identification card have their separate functions, if we are ed- ucated about the function of the national Identification card and we are instructed by the government we will comply with the instruction. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Like advertisement, just the way you have come now, I as a person did not think of going to get the national ID card again because I feel it will also serve the same purpose as the voter’s card, but now that you have come it enlightened me in some ways to go and collect mine, now I know it is compul- sory for every good Nigerian to have it. – Younger men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA Southern participants, both rural and urban, strongly suggested that a financial incentive or gift at registration would encourage people to enroll. This ranged from 200 to 5,000 naira or a bag of rice. In many instances this solution was informed by practices for voter registration. In the North, financial incentives or gifts were also mentioned but less frequently, and usually as a way to incentivize women in particular to enroll. If the government attach a gift of 5,000 to those that will get it, people will go to any length to have it, they will sleep there [at the registration site] to be early. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA ... the government can give rice [at registration]. If the government brings rice [and] says they should come out, there is something they will give them, and they will turn up. – Older women, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA If they are giving incentive like money, soap, detergent, etc., [more women will enroll]. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA Like the voting time, they gave like 500 naira or 1,000 naira [to register]. So, if you promise them something, they will register. – Older women, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA All participant groups in both the North and South believed tying the ID to accessing services or benefits would motivate people to enroll by increasing the value of the ID in people’s daily lives. Some, mostly northern participants suggested ID should be made mandatory for accessing services or benefits: “Tell them it will be compulsory in the next few coming years for everything. This is the only way people will take it seriously” (older men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA). “... national ID card should be as important as the BVN number” (younger men, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA). Other participants expressed concerns, however, that making the ID mandatory could lead to exclusion, particularly for women: “If this card is made a prerequisite to be able to get any support from government many women will be left out because very few has it, say 50. Mostly it’s men that go out and get it, women don’t take it seriously because they don’t go out.” (older women, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA). Participants suggested several services which would motivate people to enroll; for women tying the ID to services that would benefit or improve their lives of their children was considered important. Services suggested ranged from financial services like bank accounts, loans, and TraderMoni to education for children and health care. Participants in the South felt that the ID should be tied to generating income and getting jobs, while participants in the North were more likely to mention tying the ID to government benefit schemes or banking (see Table 4). Importantly, while participants suggested making the ID mandatory for many activities, excessive ID requirements-particularly for essential services-can lead to exclusion. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 72 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Table 4. Services which would motivate people to enroll for the ID Participant view (note that while participants suggested that the national ID be required for access to Sector many services, excessive requirements for ID can lead to exclusion) They should make it compulsory for everyone just like they made voter cards compulsory in the banking sector. The government should make the national ID card compulsory for anyone making banking transactions or borrowing. – Older women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA Financial services In the bank, what can make the woman run to do it is if they stop asking for NEPA bill and they ask for national ID card, they will not have any alternative but to go and do it [register for the ID]. – Older women, urban Akwa Ibom State, Uyo LGA People can be offered [agricultural] loans in cooperatives and the card can be used as a Agriculture basis to get the loans from the federal government with low interest rates. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... many a times things that we are supposed to benefit from government we don’t have them [...] we will want the national ID card to serve as our link to the government. – Younger men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA In our community of lepers, we would want it to serve as a means of accessing grants [...] if they can give me grants or help, it will make me to prefer it to my pension ID. – Men, urban leprosy group Give aid to people like food items and mosquito nets and making the national identity card Government a mandate to get access to aid. grants and benefit – Older women, rural Niger State, Katcha LGA schemes ... we will prefer whatever support government will give, employment or anything that will benefit us, government should consider people with national ID card only. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA If there is going to be an empowerment program for those with national ID card, everybody would want to go and do the registration. If they are certain that she get start up capital after registering, they will want to go and do it. – Older men, rural pastoralist Also, student who want to do WAEC or NECO* [school examinations] will not be able to register without the national ID card. Education – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... they should say that if you don’t have the card, you won’t be able to go to school. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... if they make it a rule that if you don’t have the card, they won’t attend to you in any hospital, it will make people register. – Older women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Health care If the government say that before the child is admitted [to the clinic], he must have the national ID card, everyone will want to have. – Older man with a disability, rural Akwa Ibom State continued * WAEC West African Examination Council and NECO National Examinations Council set high school leaving certificates and other exams. C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 73 Table 4. Services which would motivate people to enroll for the ID (continued) Participant view (note that while participants suggested that the national ID be required for access to Sector many services, excessive requirements for ID can lead to exclusion) ... if they want to employ you for a job, you must have the national ID card. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Employment ... they should gather the women and tell them after the registration, they will provide job for them or anything that will bring them income, that will make them register. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA If anyone want to register his/her business with the government [they] must have a national Business ID card. registration – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA They can use it as a document for traders to have access to market stands. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Access to They can make announcement that all female traders are going to benefit from a markets/trading government scheme, and they will need the national ID card. I believe it will motivate them. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... use it as a means of travel to various states in the country and maybe a government mass transit scheme. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Travel/migration ... they should make it compulsory that if you migrate from your state to another state, you must be able to show your own national ID card and if you cannot produce it, you will be arrested. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA ... it should be announced that anyone that does not have the card cannot get married. Marriage – Older women, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA ... a rule should be placed that without the national ID card, you can’t get voter’s card. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Voting The two cards (voter’s card and national ID card) should be merged together and also used as ATM and driver’s license. – Older women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 74 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5.1.2.1  Motivating women to enroll For women, tying the ID to services that would benefit or improve the lives of their children was considered key to motivating women to enroll, in addition to the services highlighted in Table 5. Table 5. Services which would motivate women to enroll for the ID Participant view (note that while participants suggested that the national ID be required for access to Sector many services, excessive requirements for ID can lead to exclusion) In the bank, what can make the woman run to do it is if they stop asking for NEPA [electricity] bill and they ask for national ID card, they will not have any alternative but to go Financial services and do it [register for the ID]. – Older women, urban Akwa Ibom State, Uyo LGA Some women are farmers. If they are enticed with ... grant, fertilizer, or some amount of money to carry out their farm work [which requires the ID], I think this will motivate them [to Agriculture register]. – Older man with a disability, rural Akwa Ibom State It should be made compulsory that any woman that is taken to see the doctor, she must have the national identity card. Without this, women wouldn’t listen, this is the only thing that Health care will make women take it seriously. – Older women, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA ... they should gather the women and tell them after the registration, they will provide job for Employment them or anything that will bring them income, that will make them register. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA They can make announcement that all female traders are going to benefit from a Access to government scheme, and they will need the national ID card. I believe it will motivate them. markets/trading – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA Moderator: What is one big thing [...] that will make every woman who does not have the NID card go for it? Participant: Children. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA Child benefits ... If you tell her that without it the children will not go to school it make her hasten up and do it. – Younger men, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 75 5.1.3 Ensuring women and girls have permission to enroll Across the country, participants thought that bringing centers closer could solve the problem of getting permission from husbands or fathers. Because women would not be away from home for a long time, they would not have to travel long distances on bad roads or pay large amounts for transport. Some women even said they would not necessarily have to tell their husbands they were going to enroll if centers were closer to home. ... the person may even go and come back without the husband knowing. – Older women, urban leprosy colony Honestly if it is in this town you can hardly find a man that will stop his wife from going out to collect because it is not far for them to think you will go there and stay long. – Younger women, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA ... not all men will allow their wives to go and do the national ID card registration, but if they are com- ing to do it in the community, it will work. Most females will be able to do the registration. – Older men, rural pastoralist ... sometimes even when a husband permits the woman to go, he may not give her transport fare, but if the center is close by, the woman would only walk to the center and get registered. – Older women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA In the North, a few participants suggested that separate queues for men and women would also make it more likely that men would give their wives permission to enroll: “... problem is the queuing process, where sometimes male and female mingle on a queue. Many husbands or fathers may not allow this. If line or queues are separated male on this and women on the other line, to me the prob- lem is solved,” – Younger men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA. Offering cash incentives or making the exercise mandatory, as discussed above, would also encourage men to give wives permission. It [cash incentive] will make the husband give the wife permission to go, even ask her to sleep there to get the card. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA ... if they make it compulsory for every woman to come out, the man will have no choice than to allow her. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA Responses from participants underscored the need to challenge social norms that shape the opinion, held by both men and women, that the ID is less important for a woman than a man. Convincing men of the importance of the ID so they can enable their wives and daughters to register was often seen as the best way to increase women’s and girl’s registration rates. This finding held across the country in both rural and urban settings. Some people thought that men should register before their wives. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 76 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... at least the husband must have heard about it even if he was not present at the palace. So, by the time the wife will come and tell him about it, he would not say that he does not know what she is talking about. And I think if he is a person of cognition, he should be able to give the permission. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA ... if he understands, he will encourage the wife to go for the registration. However for a polygamist who has a favorite wife and does not cater for the welfare of the remaining wives and children, it will be difficult for such a man to instruct the wife to go get the national ID card. – Older women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA ... yes, if they are enlightened, they will be able to give their consent, and the parents too should be enlightened because not all parents will allow their children [to register]. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA If he understood how important this card is, he would even take her to the registration center. – Older men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA Before she does it, it is expected that you do the registration first so as to know all the information they get from you. They can do the registration for her as well and that would not cause you any problem since you gave the approval. – Older men, rural IDP Chiefs and other trusted leaders, elders, and friends were considered key influencers—people who could change the minds of men in their communities regarding the importance of ID for women in girls. Many participants thought such community leaders were best placed to inform men in their communities about IDs and ensure women had permission to go to registration centers and enroll. And KIIs with traditional leaders generally echoed the sentiment that they were well placed to convince men of the importance of granting permission to women. There should be enlightenment for the men who do not allow their women to do the “For women, let’s address the cultural barrier which is not friendly for women. Let the women and the men, most registration.Those close to him would tell him especially the custodians of the culture, know that women about it and he will listen to it, his leaders, elder are human beings and when they talk about the human brothers/sisters. rights, it applies to the woman. So, if they drop [the idea that] a man must give approval before a woman will do – Older men, rural IDP anything, it will help the women to get registered. If the women are given good education to whatever level for If they have friends who permitted their wives them to know their worth, to know that their place is not in to go do the registration, they should also the farm and the kitchen, it will help them get registered. And in the process of sensitizing them, they are also permit their wives at home to go and do the building their self-esteem to contribute their quota towards registration. He will tell him, “It’s a good thing if nation building.” you allow your wife to go and do the registra- State Ministry of Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom tion. It’s not a bad thing if you permit her to go and do the registration.” – Younger men, urban IDP They should inform the kings so that they will gather the men and make them aware of the registra- tion and expect them to permit their wives to go and register. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 77 I think they should call on the attention of the men and tell them the importance of the card. So that the population of the women that will come out for the registration in the future will be much. [...] They can use the leader to catch the attention of the men to let their wives go and register. Nobody would like to be disgraced in the hospital, all because they didn’t register for the national ID card. – Younger women, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA Some northern participants went as far as to say that men who refuse to let their wives enroll should be reported to higher authorities within the family and the village. ... if the woman want to get registered and her husband disagree she should report him to her moth- er, and if he disagrees, she should report him to the village head, so that he can allow the woman to go out and get registered. – Older women, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA With close proximity, we can now report it to the village head, telling him the man refused his wife to get registered. Just like what is done when immunizing children. There are some people that are gathered because of such act. – Younger men, rural Niger State, Mariga LGA A small number of participants felt nothing could be done should a husband wish to deny his wife permission to enroll. There is nothing that can be done about that, it is in the hands of both the man and his wife. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA There is no solution except praying to Allah. – Older and younger women, rural Sokoto State, Rabbah LGA In the absence of changing social norms, female participants in the South, and both male and female participants in the North, felt that women know how to talk to their husbands persuasively so as to secure permission. ... if they have announced it that we should come for the national ID card, it has become a must that we discuss it in our homes. We should sit down in one accord and talk about it, that this thing we agree that it is useful to us and our children, so it is a must that we go, so he too will be happy and want to participate in it. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA She will have to beg and pet the husband to allow her to go, because she knows it’s something that is important to have. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA ... if her husband is not willing in allowing his wife to go out, she need to sit him down and discuss on how important this card is. If he is convinced, he will take her or allow her to go. – Older men, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA ... seeking permission is to be done indoors ... woman should use soft voice and be humble when asking the husband. – Younger women, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 78 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5.1.4 Bringing registration closer to communities Bringing centers or enrollment closer to people was the most frequently suggested solution by all groups in both the North and South. Many participants felt that enrollment should be done ward by ward or even house by house in every community. This would alleviate all kinds of barriers to registration from lack of time and transport to cost and motivation. ... each village with high populations should have their own base for easy access. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA After locating the centers close, then the village leader will be told to inform his people to come for the registration, they can be given two or more days for them to register after which another village head will also inform his own people to come as well. If this is done, to me it will solve the challenge faced at the registration center. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA It will be better if the center is brought down here; some of them don’t know where the local govern- ment is. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Mobile or temporary enrollment initiatives were frequently mentioned as a way to bring registration closer to the people and a solution to the problems of distance, time, and transport. These methods were used for voter registration, the census, and even the old ID card. The example of immunization campaigns was also cited. ... if you want the people in this community to really register for the ID card, they have to do it the way they did voter’s card, by coming to the people. They brought it here for us, we didn’t go to them [...] if you want people to go to their offices many things there will discourage them, like the long queues. – Younger men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA Just like the old one [ID card], they came to the community to do the registration. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA ... it should be moved from house to house the way immunization was done from house to house. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Banks, markets, schools, churches, and village leaders’ residences were identified as good places for enrollment (Box 9) (similar to locations identified for awareness raising). They should bring it closer to us, like they did to the king when they brought it to his palace. They can bring it to the primary school [...] They can go to the homes of people to register [...]. Box 9. Suggested enrollment locations – Older men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA • Banks ... they can register people in the churches and even in • Markets the market square. • Schools – Younger men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA • Churches/mosques • Village leader’s residences C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 79 They can bring some centers to the primary schools, like on Mondays when we go for PTA the an- nouncement will be made [...] That will make it easy for females. – Younger women, rural Ekiti State, Ise/Orun LGA They can open centers in places where we transact business to register them. That would make it easier. – Younger women, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA If the government can make 2 systems available for each village and these villages have town halls, schools, health center, and marketplace where they can set up their base. – Older women, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA All participant groups, both urban and rural and in both the North and South, noted that bringing enrollment closer to the people would alleviate the constraint imposed by the cost of transport. The cost and hassle of finding transportation deters people from enrolling for the ID—barriers which are often especially high for women and persons with disabilities. ... if the center is here, there is no need to spend money for transport because the place is close. – Older men, rural Ebonyi State, Ivo LGA Bring the center close to the village so that without cash you can walk there. – Younger men, rural Cross River State, Boki LGA Transportation becomes easier that way. If a center is in any community I can walk there. If I know who is in my front, I can go home and come back and continue from where I stopped, having taken care of some things. – Younger men, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA Providing transport like buses and motor bikes and even fixing roads and bridges to make the journey easier were other suggestions made for addressing the transport barrier by participants nationwide, especially by those from the South. They can provide means of transportation for them or to give a vehicle that will take the people of the village to the place. – Younger men, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA The entire road leading to the centers should be in good condition. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA The road is so bad even a pregnant woman can suffer miscarriage on that road before reaching their destination. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Means of transportation should be provided to convey people from a specific point and also drop them off at that same point, while everyone disperses from there to their respective homes. The aged one can be led to that point and later picked up at their return. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 80 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5.1.4.1  Bringing enrollment closer particularly facilitates enrollment for marginalized groups Bringing enrollment closer to communities also lifts many barriers faced by the elderly, child brides, persons with disabilities, and displaced people (Table 6). Mobile- or community-based enrollment was also suggested as a critical way of reaching vulnerable groups like the elderly or IDPs. Persons with disabilities suggested that cards and registration should be done for them at home. Table 6. Bringing enrollment closer to communities lifts barriers for marginalized groups Group ... to be sincere our mothers are old even our fathers are old too, so telling people to go to the local government to register some people will be willing to go but the ability is not there because of the distance. – Older women, rural Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA ... it will be good if they can come closer to home to register those old people that can no longer Elderly move about easily. – Older women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA I am of the opinion that the officials go from compound to compound because our parents here are very old and so going down to the community heads’ house could be a problem. – Older women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA ... the location of the registration unit should be closer [...] in the village council, so that they can have someone to lift him or her to the place. – Men with disabilities, rural Akwa Ibom State ... government should try to move from house to house, so disabled people can get it too. – Older men, rural Cross River State, Calabar Municipal LGA I will wish they come and register us in our community and when the cards are ready they follow us home and distribute the slips to us. By so doing our problems will be solved. Persons with – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) disabilities ... they can open more centers where women can go and register easily, even if it’s in a hospital. – Women, rural leprosy group You know most of the disabled have their own association where they use to meet for handwork to help themselves, to reduce the begging problem, so what am saying is that if the machines are available, it can be taken to the centers where they meet for their programs and they can be captured. – State Ministry of Women Affairs, Gombe State ... they should come down to the camp and register us. – Women, IDP Displaced ... they should come back to the camp and register again for those who have lost their own. – Women, IDP populations ... the easiest thing is how they did the voter’s card ... yeah, every village ... so that is how it should be done. – Older men, rural IDP ... there are pregnant women, women with disability, if this thing is brought close, because of the Pregnant closeness to the community it will bring privileges to all people, you will do it with more ease, women without any challenge if I am facing difficulty. – Younger men, urban Plateau State, Jos North LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 81 5.1.4.2 Bringing centers closer can increase women’s and girl’s enrollment For women and girls of all groups, bringing enrollment closer to the people—either through permanent centers or through mobile enrollment drivers—not only addresses the issue of permission (discussed above), but also lifts other key barriers like transport, time, and household duties and childcare. Nationally, male and female participants of all ages noted that these barriers are intertwined for women, thus bringing enrollment closer to the people solves a myriad of problems (Figure 9). Figure 9. Women’s barriers addressed by bringing enrollment closer to the community Permission Transport Time Time (childcare (household duties) duties) ... if it is brought to this community, it will lessen the stress [on women]. – Older women, rural Plateau State, Wase LGA ... the problem it will solve is that women will not complain that they don’t have money to transport themselves to the centers or worry about the care of their kids when they go to the centers far from home. It will also solve the problem of seeking permission from the husbands because the distance is far. – Older men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... it will be easier for them if they bring it closer to home and it will encourage every husband to allow their wives and children who are up to age to go and register. – Older women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA Because it is now close to her [...] you see that the time it will take her to go to the hall will not be equivalent to the time it will take her to go to council, so she can manage her time, she can even take her kids along. – Younger men, rural Abia State, Umu Nneochi LGA ... if a husband refused the wife from going because of the children she need to care for, she can now be able to convince her husband that it will not take her too much time, it will now take her a shorter time to get there and finish up and come home to the children. – Younger women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 82 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Honestly the stress of traveling to the other town, supposing it is in this town we will not go through a lot of stress. – Younger women, rural Kebbi State, Arewa Dandi LGA ... they should bring the center close to us to avoid leaving the children to go a mile away for registration. – Younger women, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA [with] many centers you will also have your husband permission and you can take your children there because it is near and you will not spend much money so having branches will solve many challenges. – Older women, urban Niger State, Chanchaga LGA If announcement is made in the community that the women should come out and do their national ID card registration, they will come out en mass and that would make it easier for the women. Going to the secretariat, honestly, is very difficult for the women. – Older men, rural IDP ... if they are made to go from house to house, how will the husband say no to the wife’s registration. – Younger women, urban Ebonyi State, Abakaliki LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 83 Feature 3. Collaboration with Private Sector and NGOs Most participants thought that a partnership between NIMC, the private sector, and NGOs to carry out enrollment could provide a solution to some current challenges. Pastoralist communities and IDPs were strongly in favor of these partnerships, and other participants even suggested using banks to carry out enrollment. On the opposing side, the hesitation for enrolling with such partners centered around concerns about corruption, scams, and misuse of data, all of which are prevalent in Nigeria. Some participants said that if the government certified or vouched for these private sector or NGO partners, then they would feel at ease with registering through them. See Table 7 for further detail. Table 7. Positive and negative perspectives on collaboration with private sector and NGOs Arguments AGAINST partnership with private Arguments FOR partnership with private sector or NGOs sector or NGOs Private sector is not reliable Eases distance and other burdens • The private sector cannot be trusted, they fluctuate • Yes that [partnership] will be very important so that people with the trends of time and move like the wind. in a remote area will also have access to it. I believe the NIMC ID office is in the state capital and you will agree with – Women, rural Sokoto State, Rabbah LGA me that Sokoto is not a small state. Some people stay in • The businessmen never take all this serious, the rural areas, some don’t even have feeding money and because I have registered my SIM twice and it less of transport fare to the centers. And even if someone didn’t work and they kept saying it would work, so succeeded in going to the center, the queue will be over 500 if the government hands over the national id card people, but if the government collaborates with business registration to them everything would scatter. people and a center is located in our village and every other – Older women, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA village in this locality, in two days the information will spread and people will turn out in mass to register. • What government is going to join marketers is going to be harmful. Who will be responsible to oversee – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA the affairs or to take measures if things go wrong or • Yes it would be very helpful and important especially to us an offense is committed by the private partners? It’s the Fulanis in rural localities because we won’t even need to governments responsibility, even if the marketers go to their offices to struggle to be registered instead they are the ones that harm you, it is the government that would locate [centers] in our various localities and it would be cheated you. easier, faster, and better that way. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Rabah LGA – Older men, rural pastoralist Private sector cannot be trusted with personal data Private sector means innovation and convenience • I: Let assume Government hand over or collaborate • Standing on the queue is stressful, through private/public with private sectors to do this national ID card partnership, I believe better ideas will be introduced; it will registration. Would you give this information? help ameliorate the difficulty involved. R1: No, because government would take good – Younger men, urban IDP care with our information than private sectors. • It will be good to involve private people to join hands with – Younger women, urban Sokoto State, government, it will be easier to place it in community for Sokoto North LGA people to register. – Women, rural pastoralist • ... and they should put a center in each of the banks too, not just in a particular bank [...] all my information are with the bank so the bank should be able to compile my information for the ID card. – Younger men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 84 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Arguments AGAINST partnership with private Arguments FOR partnership with private sector or NGOs sector or NGOs • It is like buying a SIM card on the street you don’t • Cafes can easily register people. Unlike at the office where have any connection with the seller, you buy the SIM you will find too much congestion, and someone might not from him and he was gone, you will never see him, get registered. but something like this that have [personal] questions – Older men, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA you need to go to the [government] office. NGOs might be seen as more reliable than government – Older women, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA • If the government are the ones that will carry out the Hard to distinguish official enrollment from scams exercise, people will not bother to do it. But if it is coming from an organization like action against hunger, they are the • Sometimes when they are doing something like this ones that come into the IDP camps, because they distribute [corruption] will be rampant. If it involves money the relief materials in the IDP camps. marketers would print fake slips for people and sell – Younger men, urban IDP them. • When NGOs collaborate with the government and they – Older men, urban Gombe State, Gombe LGA establish centers in both the rural and remote areas, the • I would not give him [my information] because he issue of finance will be no more, since people will not need would dupe me. transport themselves to other places just to get registered. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA – Younger men, urban IDP Official government nomination of partners relieves trust concerns • Because the government is collaborating with the private organization to make the registration exercise less difficult for the people. Why would we not want to cooperate with them as well? – Older women, rural IDP • If it’s the government that sent them then there is no problem. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Biliri • If the government appoint the businessmen for the registration, we will register. – Younger women, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA • Only if the government would verify there will be no corrupt practices among them. There are corrupt organizations. But if the government will verify them and also regulate their activities, it’s a good thing. – Older men, rural IDP C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 85 5.2 At the Registration Center 5.2.1 Increasing staffing and working hours at existing centers Some participants recognized the burden of asking government to increase the number of enrollment centers or mobile enrollments, suggesting instead to prolong the working hours at the existing centers. A few others noted that enrollment should be possible online. ... if you ask them to provide additional center it will be difficult for government [...] the best thing for us is to provide more time [...] , I mean prolong the opening time. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA If they can do it online after registering online, one will just go to the center and collect his/her card. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Ekiti East LGA 5.2.2 Relaxing supporting document requirements Participants of all categories called for greater awareness raising of what documents are required, since not having these can be a significant hurdle to registration. ... they should give us information on time to look for all the documents needed for the registration. We don’t know the documents to bring there, but people that know it should tell us in time to prepare them. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA ... members of the community should be informed of the usefulness and importance of having those documents so that it wouldn’t be when the needs arise before they will start looking for it. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA ... let the people know the required document. Not until finished following queue they tell you go bring document. – Younger women, urban Sokoto State, Sokoto North LGA ... they should enlighten people on how they can get the documents [...] tell them where and from who they will get the documents. – Younger women, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA Because not having the right supporting documents can be a barrier to enrollment, participants in the South and North frequently suggested reducing the number of required documents and instead, permitting people to enroll without supporting documents or with fewer documents. In the North in particular participants went so far as to request that no supporting documents be required. Some participants in the South felt supporting documents were not so difficult to obtain, especially if you have the money to pay for them. Alternatives to supporting documents ranged from allowing individuals to present letters from a community leader, to allowing women to present school certificates when they don’t have other documents, to putting in place ‘introducer models’ where a known and trusted person (such as the ward head) would stand by at the enrollment and vouch for everyone without documents. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 86 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ... if they make it easy for me to get what I need to register like get birth certificate and other docu- ments, it will be easy for me to fill the form. – Younger women, rural Ebonyi State, Onicha LGA ... if you have the money it will be easy for you [to get the affidavit], if you don’t have money, it will not be easy for you. – Older women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA I also feel there should be no need of asking for documents like the voter’s card or any identity card because it’s possible that some don’t have it at all. – Younger men, urban IDP ... if they can only use the information you have in your head without positing any document. – Younger men, urban pastoralist There should be someone who knows everyone. The ward head knows the people living in the com- munity. If anyone is going to register [they] will have to go through the ward head. – Older men, rural pastoralist ... for each center, only the person that belongs to that segment will be registered. So everybody knows where everyone belongs. So this other method [requiring documents] is not required, be- cause some people don’t have them. – Younger men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA Responses received in the North suggested that some enrollment centers are already unofficially relaxing the requirement for supporting documents and allowing people to enroll by having a trusted person vouch for them. Moderator: “What did you give to the people before they registered you?” Participant: “One person stood on our behalf and he did most of the work [...] he gave all the answers to the questions asked.” – (Younger men, rural Gombe State, Biliri). If documents must be required, a frequent suggestion in the North was for the issuers of the necessary supporting documents to be located at or near the ID enrollment centers, to make procurement easier. Okay, maybe at the registration center, government should make availability for each local govern- ment to have a stand for birth certificate and indigene form so that when you come to register for your national identity card and you don’t have these documents, they will refer you to the place where you can just do it fast and come to register for your national ID. – Younger men, rural Niger State, Katcha LGA Well, the easier way is they bring people from the main office [...] the people that would write it down and give you when you go there and also they should find a place where even if you have a problem you don’t have to go far. – Older women, urban Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 87 Moderator: Now we are asking how they would bring relief to you on the issue of these documents that you have to show before they do the registration. Participant: ... bring someone that can write that for us. – Younger women, urban IDP Participants felt government should help people to access alternative documents, and older people felt it was important for enrollment officers to be patient and to have the ability to help someone determine their age, particularly when they lacked a birth certificate. In my own opinion for an elderly person that do not have the birth certificate or has misplaced his/her own birth certificate such person should go to oke mosun [governor’s office]. The person will have to pay a huge amount [...] If the government can assist by reducing the amount to be spent it will be good. – Younger women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... everyone that will be carrying out the registration process should be properly trained to know events and history so they can help the elderly ones calculate their age. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA 5.2.2.1 Additional considerations for marginalized groups IDPs echoed the sentiments above, particularly the need to rely on their leaders and ward heads to vouch for them and manage the issue of supporting documents. ... if we can bring our leaders as referees. Because they have our list as IDPs. It will be easier that way. – Older women, urban IDPs Moderator: What do you think should be done to make those documents required to be less difficult for people to get? Participant: The ward head should go there and get it from the district head. It should remain with him. And for the birth certificate, they should make it available at the hospital. – Younger men, urban pastoralists Pastoralists called for the abolishment of supporting documents and the need for more flexible procedures where trusted individuals such as chairmen or women’s husbands could vouch for people enrolling without supporting documents. For the females, someone who knows her, and her husband would get it for her and will defend her. – Older men, rural pastoralist Our chairman can lay a complaint to them explaining to them that some of us lost their document and some got burnt. If they can register us without asking for such documents it will help. – Older men, rural pastoralist BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 88 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5.2.3 Improving the experience at enrollment points In addition to increasing the number of enrollment points, people in the South raised the quality of those enrollment centers, whether permanent or temporary, and suggested ways of making the experience more comfortable and accessible. This ranged from ensuring constant power supply, to providing seating, toilets, drinking water, and shaded places for waiting. Participants also frequently requested an increase in the number of enrollment staff and the number of enrollment kits. They should provide electricity in the centers they will bring close so that people can stay longer and complete the registration process. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA They should provide shade to protect people from the sun. – Younger men, rural Ogun State, Ipokia LGA ... provide more staff and machines as well as power because when you go there and see people like 10 in the queue, meanwhile there are only 2 people in the office attending to them. People are staying there from morning till night. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... we usually go to the health facility to register which is too small to take the number of people com- ing there for registration [...] more centers should be created to make the registration easy not just at one point so that everyone will be attended to on time. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA The government [...] should properly organize. Lack of organization put a lot of things in disarray. If this is properly done most people would have registered by now, even if it was 10 persons per day we would have gone a long way. – Older men, urban, Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA Some participants expressed a preference for staff from their own communities (linguistic, cultural, etc.) to be employed for registration to overcome language and communication barriers and to ensure the staff person understands the enrollees’ situation. my take here is the staff to be posted should be a Hausa man/woman because when they post, let’s say Igbo man, there might be many errors in what he’s writing; this happened to my mother her name was Hauwa (a Hausa name) but the staff there wrote ‘Hawa’ and that is how it is on the ID till to date. – Younger men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA ... someone with disability should be employed because he that wears the shoe knows where it pinches. So, they should be employed to work there so they can attend to their people. It will encour- age them to come out because their kind is there. So, they will understand from their standpoint. – Woman with a disability, urban Akwa Ibom State It will very much help the Fulani especially the native Fulanis because out of forty to fifty people it’s hard to find one person who can read A B C D [in English]. – Pastoralist traditional leader C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 89 If he is from the community, he needs not to ask you because he already have knowledge of your biodata. In your presence or absence, he knows what to write. He knows the name of your grand- parents. Take for instance, this man here knows my name, my parent’s names ... and so you see, it is something he will find less difficult unlike someone who doesn’t know me. He will be asking for my name and occupation and so on ... if he is from the same community, almost every one of them will want to do the registration. – Older men, rural pastoralist Participants also universally called on government to improve staff behavior. This amounted to ensuring officials remain at work for the duration of the working day, treat people with respect, and face punishment for bad behavior. The government should monitor them, if they are not full-time staff, they should be replaced with the full-time staff that will resume at 8 am and work till 3:30 pm. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... employ smart workers, not the dull ones we meet at the local government headquarters; some- times because of their sluggishness I get angry and leave the enrollment center without registration because of their attitude. – Older women, rural Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA ... employ effective and cultured personnel. – Younger men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... discipline those officers. – Older men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... they should have hard working staffs that would come to do their job diligently and they can only stand up when it’s closing time or time for prayer or an emergency. And they should also bring more than one staff to work and they should work in shifts. And they should also have enough working materials. – Older men, rural Gombe State, Biliri LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 90 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY 5.2.3.1 Additional considerations for marginalized groups Participants of all groups, ages, and abilities nationwide said priority in registration should be given to the elderly, women with young children, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups (Table 8). Table 8. Priority registration for vulnerable Sector ... it [registration] should be grouped according to age groups, youth should be separated Elderly from the adults, and chairs should be provided for the aged and the disabled. – Older men, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA ... we can go with our children. It is just that there should be consideration for nursing mothers, attending to them first. Women with young – Older women, rural Cross River State, Boki LGA children or large time constraints Because we men have more time, but the women have household chores to get to, so we men can give them the chance to register first so they can go back home. – Older men, rural Ekiti State, Oye LGA ... people with special needs should be given special attention. – Men with disabilities, rural Akwa Ibom State ... when we were doing voter registration [...] there was a column made for the disabled, we were capturing them with this laptop, what I am trying to say in earnest is that they designed something for them. Because is not all of them that have their fingers like we do. they can do their own separately for them, while not making them feel uncomfortable, or trying to tell them they are not like them. – Older women, urban leprosy colony Special centers should be established for blind women, including the leprosy affected persons and those that cannot hear. For the women and their husbands this can help in reducing the sufferings they go through. – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) Persons with The blind shouldn’t be compelled to go through all those processes, they should cut off the long process for persons with special needs. disabilities – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) They attached someone to us that ask us questions one by one and fill it [the form] on our behalf. – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) ... It’s because of my age and blindness because when I got there and joined the queue one of the staff came to me and announced to the crowd that if they will agree he would want to register me first. And they accepted. That’s how I registered. – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) ... have a specific date of which persons living with disabilities can go and register. – Men, urban persons with disabilities (visually impaired) ... when it comes to the disability world, we have females there, if the environment is not accessible, they will not come out. – Woman with a disability, urban Akwa Ibom State C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 91 5.2.3.2 Additional considerations for women Across participants there was consensus that women, particularly those with young children or women with a disability, should be given priority registration. This was suggested in recognition of their existing household commitments and constraints, which limit the time and effort they can spend in registering for an ID (see Table 8). In the North in particular, many people felt that there should also be separate enrollment for women. This was due to both cultural and religious beliefs as well as time constraints and efficiency. ... employ two more people to register the women and the remaining two to register the men. With that the line will keep moving. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Bogoro LGA ... they can come here with two computers and enough workers [that] we can have female queue separate from the male queue [and] let female register women while male register men. – Older men, rural Bauchi State, Giade LGA Just like when they came for TraderMoni and other programs, they took workers, so if they want to make the process easier for women, they should employ workers who will go from house to house to register people. [...] So, the women wouldn’t go out, the worker will go into the house and register the women. – Older men, urban Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA Men are jealous, some men don’t even like other men to look at their wives, so what I will suggest is if these centers are located close to us as we said, then men and women can take a turn in going for the registration. For instance, if men are registered today, then women will be registered the next day and so on. – Older men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA ... it can be done in a way that the males are attended first and then the females afterwards. Or a day can be fixed for the males, and when those days are over, then the females are prescribed their days too. – Younger men, rural Sokoto State, Wurno LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 92 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Box 10. Capturing biometrics for marginalized groups Capturing biometrics (e.g., photos and fingerprints) was noted as a barrier, particularly for certain marginalized groups. Participants noted the need for exception policies and suggested some accommodations which could be made to address this barrier. The best way is for the officials to liaise with disability leaders, when they liaise, they will discuss a way to register those with leprosy who have fingers that do not function well. They will bring the equipment and assign someone to help them register. The problem I am having with this national ID card is that we will leave here and go to the registration point at the federal Secretariat, the federal Secretariat might not be able to help those in wheelchairs. ...It is not difficult for the ID card management to engage the sign language expert, [someone who will be an] interface between the registration officials and the deaf and dumb people. And also, they should bring the registration center close to the people. Blind people from South-South should have a center in Calabar or IMO state. (Man, with a disability, rural Akwa Ibom) In the North in particular, participants felt that religious institutions needed to be informed about the ID, particularly to promote the value of IDs and endorse socially acceptable solutions for capturing photographs of women who wear hijabs and for enrollment agents to take women’s fingerprints. ... if it is not possible, since their husbands do not allow the hands of their wife to be touched ... religious bodies will bring out the solution ... it can bring to a solution because you see the issue of removing Hijab and other things is a religious something ... so for that type of situation, we will go through the Imam [...] and they will bring awareness that will bring about the solution to that. (Older men, urban persons with disabilities, [visually impaired]) 5.2.4 Removing informal fees and bribery Participants of all ages and genders in the South, and some participants in the North, asked the government to take action to stop the informal bribes and fees associated with enrollment. While many people know that the ID is officially free, the widespread petty corruption encountered during enrollment was seen as a problem and deterrent from enrollment. A frequent suggestion was for the government to increase the salaries of enrollment officers, provide materials and equipment for registration, and investigate those found to be asking for money. ... the government should pass a law that it should be free, and it will encourage people. – Younger women, urban Abia State, Umuahia South LGA ... what will make it easy is they are not collecting money. Because if they tell someone to register, she will ask if they are collecting money [...] if they are collecting money, the person will not go. – Younger women, rural Abia State, Ukwa West LGA Truly, when they find out that they are collecting money, they will not go. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA ... when we go out for voter’s card registration and voting they used to give us incentives like pure water, you understand? We will drink the water into our stomach and endure to wait even if is small, while the national [ID] we wait for long time no incentives, rather the enrollment offices will ask for bribe. – Older women, rural Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 93 They should increase their monthly wages, maybe that would stop them from asking money from people. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA The government should increase their money and make investigation on what they are doing with the money they are collecting. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA For instance, they need the money to buy fuel for the generator and other things, they should start providing money for the materials they need including petrol, if they have these materials they will no longer want to collect money from the people, even though they are collecting the money for selfish reasons, the government can give them an order to stop collecting money. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA Interestingly, bringing registration closer to the community and, especially, making use of indigenes of the community as enrollment agents were suggested as effective ways of curbing informal fees and bribes. This applied as well to marginalized groups who felt their own fellow group members should be engaged to carry out enrollment. Those ones they would send, they won’t be after your money because they are also members of this village, they will only be interested in you doing the registration and not your money, because they are indigene of this town. – Older men, rural Kebbi State, Maiyama LGA ... the reason why they can no longer collect that 1,000 naira because they would have gone to the traditional ruler, this will make it official and he will ask them the requirements, and if they tell him it is free, he will pass that information to all and they will not be able to charge. – Younger men, urban Abia State, Umuahia South It will be better if they can get a disabled person to work there. If they have staff that are disabled, they should have them attend to us separately. – Women leader with a disability, Ekiti State 5.3 After Registration 5.3.1 Speeding NIN issuance and credential delivery Across participant groups and locations, the government was asked to speed the process of issuing the current physical credential (the plastic card) and make it possible to collect the physical credential closer to home. Here once again, bringing enrollment centers close to the people was noted as a solution to delays in collection of the physical credential. As well, many participants called for the immediate issuance of physical credentials to reduce frequent back and forth movement to enrollment centers to check on progress. ... reduce the time we get the plastic national ID card. Many people don’t want to do the registration because of the long time it takes before getting the plastic one, not that they can’t do it, but the time is too long. – Younger women, urban Ekiti State, Ado-Ekiti LGA BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 94 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Let them give us the card instantly. – Older women, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA The way politicians announced the collection of the voter’s card, government should do more than that for the national ID card by asking people to go from house to house to announce the collection of the card. – Older men, rural Ogun State, Odeda LGA If we have been given the registration slip and we are asked to go to a location to collect the card, we will go because it has been made easy for us [by bringing the center closer to the community]. – Older women, urban Ogun State, Abeokuta North LGA C h a pte r 5: Pa rticipa nts’ Pro pose d So lutions 95 6 RECOMMENDATIONS © Oxford Policy Management Nigeria BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 96 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY CHAPTER 6: Recommendations The following recommendations are made by the research team, based on the findings of this study and given the ecosystem enrollment model that is planned under the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Digital Identification for Development Project. The recommendations are further informed by existing good practices for ID systems known to address many of the barriers that participants identified (Table 9). Although recommendations are aimed primarily at the Nigerian ID ecosystem implementers, many may also be relevant to ID initiatives in other low- or middle-income countries, and particularly those with diverse and decentralized populations, low foundational ID coverage, high levels of gender inequality, or large numbers of people living with disabilities. Governments or organizations interested in gaining context-specific insights to improve the design or implementation of ID systems are encouraged to undertake similar studies.40 Table 9. Recommendations Communications and awareness raising Barrier/issue addressed 1. Launch national awareness raising campaign which primarily makes use of • Awareness gaps word of mouth via traditional and religious leaders to encourage community • Lack of motivation to enroll buy-in and trust in enrollment. This is particularly important for ensuring men grant permission to women and girls to enroll in the ID. • Permission for women and girls 2. Employ additional channels beyond word of mouth, particularly radio, to spread awareness of enrollment requirements and locations under the new ecosystem enrollment system. This can be complemented by social media or SMS campaigns. 3. Channels and messages should be accessible to persons with disabilities and various language groups. 4. Key messages to deliver include: • How the national ID differs from other existing IDs and why it is important to have, even if an individual already has a voter’s card or other ID. This should include messaging on the uses of the ID, the information stored on the ID, and people’s rights and responsibilities for the ID, including regarding data protection and use of their data, how to correct errors, etc. • Why the ID is equally important for women and girls as it is for men and boys, and how to enroll children under 16. • How the new ecosystem enrollment system will work, including information on where enrollment can take place, who is eligible for the ID, what type of documents are required to enroll, that enrollment is free, what individuals have a right to expect from enrollment partners, and how to complain about a bad enrollment experience. Motivating people to enroll 5. Show the value of ID for accessing critical services (e.g., how it can be • Lack of motivation to enroll used to streamline or increase convenience at common points of access in people’s lives, such as treatment at health center, enrollment in school, continued 40 For more guidance on qualitative research related to IDs, see the ID4D Qualitative Research Toolkit Available at https://id4d.worldbank.org/ qualitative-research. C h a pte r 6. Reco mm endation s 97 Table 9. Recommendations (continued) Communications and awareness raising Barrier/issue addressed applying for a bank account, voting, marriage registration, etc.). This increases the usefulness and perceived value of the ID. For women, showing how the ID will make it easier or faster to access services or benefits for their children is key. 6. Ensure nonpossession of the ID does not create exclusion. Any policies that require the ID for access to specific services must be carefully evaluated to assess risks related to security and exclusion and ensure the ID is not being “over-required” in people’s lives, leading to exclusion. Registration points and partners 7. Locate registration points, either permanent centers or temporary/mobile • Permission for women and girls enrollment, in areas that are accessible to communities and frequented • Transport, time, and logistics burdens for other purposes (e.g., banks, markets, schools, and village leaders’ residences). • Exclusion of marginalized groups 8. Enrollment partners should be encouraged to undertake temporary, roving, or mobile enrollment in various communities to maximize the reach of the enrollment system. The pay-per-enrollment model envisioned under the ecosystem enrollment system will need to ensure that agents have sufficient incentives to reach groups where the marginal cost to enroll may be higher (either because they will take longer, e.g., persons with disabilities or illiterate persons, or because they require travel to remote regions). 9. Partner with the private sector, public sector programs, and NGOs to carry out enrollment, partners that are already familiar to some sectors of the population and are trusted. This is especially relevant for marginalized groups such as IDPs, persons with disabilities, and pastoralist communities. To mitigate the risk of scams and fraud, and build trust, it may also be helpful to publish (and regularly update) the list of government authorized enrollment partners and include this information in the communication campaigns. Priority registration policies 10. NIMC should design priority registration policies that apply to all enrollment • Permission for women and girls to partners and create monitoring mechanisms and penalties to ensure that enroll enrollment partners adhere to agreed policies. • Exclusion of vulnerable and 11. In particularly conservative regions, allow priority registration for women, marginalized people separate queues for men and women, and hire female enrollment officers. Such measures will encourage men to grant permission to women and girls to enroll. 12. Allow for priority registration of vulnerable groups to reduce wait time and other burdens. These groups include pregnant and nursing women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. This could include separate, priority lines, or times of day that are reserved for specific groups. Supporting documents 13. In developing an identity proofing policy for the ecosystem enrollment model • Motivating people to enroll consider the following: • Exclusion of vulnerable and • Establish alternative models of proof of identity for registration, such as marginalized populations an “introducer model” reliant on trustworthy persons to vouch for the enrollee. This could be the village leader, a camp leader in the case • Transport, time, and logistics burdens of IDPs, an NGO staff serving the disability community, or other such • Avoiding bribery trustworthy people who are known their communities. continued BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 98 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Table 9. Recommendations (continued) Communications and awareness raising Barrier/issue addressed • Streamline the list of acceptable supporting documents for identity proof at enrollment. Consider co-ordinating with others to facilitate a “one stop shop” approach for certain documents (e.g., birth certificates, marriage certificates, attestation letters, indigeneity certificates). • Raise awareness of what documents will or will not be required to enroll for the national ID under the ecosystem enrollment model. Quality of registration points 14. NIMC should develop basic policies on the quality and setup of enrollment • Negative experiences at registration points, which can be regularly monitored for compliance. Penalties should be points employed against noncompliant enrollment partners. • Barriers for vulnerable and 15. Enrollment points, whether temporary or permanent, need to be outfitted marginalized groups with sufficient facilities to enable people to wait in comfortable conditions (e.g., providing seating, toilets, shaded areas, drinking water, etc.). This is especially critical for vulnerable groups who cannot wait for long periods of time in the hot sun (e.g., the elderly, nursing mothers, persons with disabilities, etc.) Enrollment agent behavior and performance 16. Improve enrollment agent behavior by putting in place management policies • Informal fees and bribery and systems (e.g., codes of conduct) to ensure they remain at work for the • Negative experiences at enrollment duration of the working day, treat people with respect, and face punishment points for bad behavior such as disrespect, harassment, discrimination, or bribe taking. • Staff behavior 17. Sign a service charter agreement with enrollment partners to ensure staff will • Logistical barriers (e.g., language and be held accountable for their performance and behavior. Regular monitoring communication) of enrollment partners, whether by NIMC or by third-party monitors from civil society, should be put in place to ensure adherence to the service charter and other policies and procedures to ensure fair treatment and high-quality data capture. 18. Put in place an accessible and robust grievance redress mechanism (GRM) that enables people to report bad behavior across enrollment partners via multiple channels, including but not limited to in person, phone calls, SMS, letters, and social media. 19. Hire people from the local community or from specific groups (e.g., persons with disabilities) to carry out enrollments to limit bribe taking, address language gaps, and improve general treatment of people during registration. Biometrics 20. Ensure there are exception handling policies in place for failure to capture • Biometric capture issues any biometrics, as well as sufficient training and retraining of enrollment • Exclusion of marginalized groups personnel on implementation of those policies. Monitor enrollment partners (e.g., elderly, rural poor, persons with for adequate implementation of exception handling policies and put in place disabilities) penalties or punishments for enrollment partners who are found not to be complying with these policies (e.g., turning people away from enrollment because their fingerprints cannot be captured). 21. Ensure that exception handling policies and accommodations are culturally sensitive and informed by the prevailing social, cultural, and religious norms. As noted in Chapter 5, there may be a need to enroll women separately from men or ensure there are always female enrollment agents available in order to create a comfortable and acceptable environment for Muslim women’s registration. continued C h a pte r 6. Reco mm endation s 99 Table 9. Recommendations (continued) Communications and awareness raising Barrier/issue addressed Issuance of NINs and credentials 22. Put in place a real-time enrollment system which would make issuance of • Transport, time, and logistics burdens NINs, and potentially credentials, possible at the time of enrollment or very • Negative experiences at enrollment shortly thereafter. The aim is to reduce the wait time between enrollment points and receiving the NIN. 23. Develop a system to facilitate offline enrollment in hard to reach areas, • Enrollment failures which would also minimize the wait time between enrollment and receiving a NIN and credential. 24. Enrollment partners engaged in offline enrollment should be held accountable for lengthy delays in issuing a NIN to an enrollee through transparent tracking and reporting (e.g., enrollment agents should upload data quickly to ensure timely issuance of NINs and should return quickly to offline enrollment areas to distribute credentials once NINs are issued by NIMC). Replacement of NIN slips or credentials 25. Part of the ecosystem enrollment design should include measures to make • Lost NIN slips or ID credentials replacement of lost NIN slips or credentials easier, including via the project’s enrollment partners and not only at NIMC offices. 26. Reconsider policies such as the requirement of a police report in order to apply for a replacement ID credential. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 100 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ANNEXES © Oxford Policy Management Nigeria Annex es 101 ANNEX 1: Data and Methods Box 11. Summary of data and methods This study was a qualitative study, using primary data collected from 102 key informant interviews (KIIs) and 194 focus group discussions (FGDs) in rural and urban local government areas (LGAs) across 12 states spread over Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Data was collected over two phases, starting first with the South of the country and then applying lessons learned to the research instruments before the second phase of research in the North. FGDs were stratified by urban/rural residence, gender, and age group. Special efforts were made to identify and hold discussions with “special groups,” such as IDPs and pastoralists, and with people with disabilities. While the attempt was made to have 8–10 individuals per FGD, in some cases fewer than 8 women were available for a session, typically either because women were not willing to sit through the interview in the absence of their husbands or because they were constrained by other household engagements. KIIs were conducted with state actors in the Ministry of Women Affairs and a range of community leaders, including women leaders, religious leaders, and traditional leaders at the LGA and state levels. Discussions and interviews were audio- recorded, transcribed in English, and then analyzed using codes constructed by study authors. Data were analyzed in Dedoose and NVivo qualitative analysis software. Basic respondent demographics were also collected for each FGD respondent using a registration form designed on SurveyCTO data collection software. Gender differences in these demographics reflect the overall patterns of gender differentials in education and other characteristics in the North and South. A.1 Methods Primary qualitative data were collected from men and women using FGDs and key informant interviews (KIIs). A total of 102 KIIs and 194 FGDs were conducted. In total, 1,527 people joined the FGDs, of which 50.4 percent were women. Research was undertaken over two phases, starting in the South of the country in June 2019. Lessons learned from the first phase of the data collection were applied to revised research instruments before the second phase of research was launched in the North in July 2019. As a result, certain questions were only asked in the North of the country (e.g., perspectives on private sector and NGO enrollment partners). FGD participants were grouped by gender and age to provide a comfortable environment most conducive to participatory discussion. The format also enabled differences in views between women and men of different ages to be captured. Additional FGDs were also held with “special groups,” such as pastoralists, internally displaced people (IDPs), and persons with disabilities, to capture their specific awareness, barriers, and ideas for solutions. The discussions were semi-structured, based on a discussion guide created specifically for this study, field tested, and then translated into local languages. Each FGD was designed to last from one-and-a-half to two hours and to ideally have between 8–10 participants. KIIs were designed to last from 30–45 minutes each and were conducted with different types of local- and state-level leaders, including: ƒƒ Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development representatives at the state or LGA level; ƒƒ Village chiefs or other traditional leader(s) and religious leader(s); BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 102 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ƒƒ Community and youth representatives, including (but not limited to) representatives of IDP communities, pastoralist groups, and other vulnerable minority groups; and ƒƒ Women leaders, such as of market women's or other local women's associations. KIIs and FGDs were based on discussion guides specifically designed for this study and its participants. At each FGD or KII there was a moderator who moderated the discussion (or conducted the interview) and a notetaker who took notes. Moderators were required to obtain informed consent from all participants before a discussion or interview could commence. A registration form designed on SurveyCTO data collection software was used to capture FGD participants’ demographic details before the start of each group discussion. Participant demographics were then analyzed using Excel and Stata quantitative software packages. All moderators and notetakers were intensively trained over a one- week period by the lead investigators, with participation of NIMC officials to explain the NIMC system. In addition to traditional FGD methods, this study’s group discussions also incorporated a “persona exercise” with everyone who participated in FGDs regardless of their registration status to enable researchers to capture attitudes and perceptions relating to the experience of registering for a NIMC ID, even among those who had not registered. A persona exercise is a structured method wherein an FGD moderator guides participants in creating a “persona” that mirrors the main characteristics and circumstances of the group in question. Often a photograph may be used to start the creation of a persona. Since this study sought to understand gender differences in awareness of and access to IDs, the persona created was always female, but with other characteristics of the participating group such as age, occupation typical to the community, marital status and number of children, disability status, IDP status, and so on. The persona was assumed to go through the process of registering for an NIMC ID. The moderator then led participants through a series of questions designed to generate a discussion of participants’ knowledge, experience, perceptions, and emotions around the registration process, in particular identifying the challenges the persona may have faced at each step. These challenges formed the foundation of the last section of each FGD, which aimed to elicit participants’ views on potentially feasible, appropriate, and effective solutions to improve NIMC ID registration in their communities. Each discussion and interview was audio recorded (after obtaining consent). Using the audio recording, supplemented by FGD or KII notes as needed, verbatim English transcripts were produced. For the analysis, study researchers designed and tested a codebook based on key themes identified through the FGD and KII guides, as well as by the information from the discussions and interviews themselves. Each transcript was coded using this codebook. Four coders undertook the coding using NVivo and Dedoose qualitative data coding software. To begin with, the same sample transcript was coded by all four coders to test inter-coder reliability, and codes and descriptions were modified for clarity. Once all coders had the same understanding of each code and its meaning, all transcripts were coded. The lead researchers conducted analyses and report writing based on coded data extracted by theme as per the table of contents. A.2 Selection of Sites and Sampling Data were collected in all six geopolitical zones. Two states were selected in each zone (12 states total), and 3 local government areas (LGAs) were selected in each state (36 LGAs total). The 12 states were selected by World Bank and Oxford Policy Management (OPM) study researchers based on a high gender gap in ID enrollment (obtained from data from NIMC for registration between 2012 and 2019), security considerations, and to include states and LGAs that represented a range of access to a NIMC enrollment center. Within each selected state, one urban and two rural LGAs41 were selected, with one backup LGA in case one of the selected LGAs did not work out for logistical, security, or other reasons. In Nigeria, each state is divided into three senatorial districts. For each state, the LGA in which the state capital is located was chosen as the urban LGA, while one rural LGA was selected from each of the remaining two senatorial districts in that state. Finally, “clusters” were selected in study LGAs; the FGDs were conducted in two clusters per LGA. Table 10 lists the zone, state, and LGAs in which the study was conducted. 41 An additional LGA (Ekiti East) was included in Ekiti state to get an adequate number of FGDs and respondents from that state, as the team was not able to reach a large enough group of participants from the original two LGAs. Annex es 103 Table 10. Qualitative data collection sites Zone State Urban LGA Rural LGA Abia Umuahia South Umu Nneochi, Ukwa West South-East Ebonyi Abakaliki Ivo, Onicha Cross River Calabar Municipal Boki, Obubra South-South Akwa Ibom Uyo Ibeno, Ukanafun Ekiti Ado-Ekiti Ise/Orun, Oye, Ekiti East South-West Ogun Abeokuta North Odeda, Ipokia Bauchi Bauchi Giade, Bogoro North-East Gombe Gombe Biliri, Nafada Niger Chanchaga Mariga, Katcha North-Central Plateau Jos North Kanam, Wase Sokoto Sokoto North Rabah, Wurno North-West Kebbi Birnin Kebbi Maiyama, Arewa Dandi In each study site, individuals were selected purposively to generate FGDs with younger (less than 25 years of age) women, younger men, older (over 25 years of age) women, and older men. Within each group, researchers sought to include—as far as possible—individuals who had some experience of, or had tried to register for, the NIMC ID, as well as others who had not; individuals across socioeconomic categories; and persons with disabilities in communities where they were integrated into the community (in contrast, for example, to the leprosy colony which had only people with leprosy and thus formed a special group). Participants were selected through discussions with key community leaders and word of mouth, and were based on willingness to participate. Screening questions such as age, availability for the interview, residency, etc., were administered to ascertain participants’ eligibility. Special groups were selected after consultation with experts from civil society and other organizations. For instance, different types of pastoralist groups were selected after an in-depth consultation and with the support of an expert on pastoralist communities. The pastoralists participating in this study included sedentary herders (those who rear their livestock on a fixed parcel of land) and nomadic groups. The selection of sites in which IDPs were invited to participate was based on advice from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Researchers consulted with senior members of the national network of persons with disabilities to devise a two-pronged approach to include persons with disabilities in the study, that is, (1) to include persons with disabilities living in communities as part of FGDs with the general population if they chose to participate; and (2) to conduct FGDs at centers for people with various disabilities. Through the second approach groups of visually impaired people, as well as people suffering from leprosy, were reached. Table 11 lists the zone, state, and LGA in which FGDs with special groups were conducted.42 42 To fully preserve the anonymity of special groups who participated in the study, this table does not identify which special group was selected from which LGA or state. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 104 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Table 11. Zones, states, and LGAs selected for FGDs with special groups Zone State Urban LGA Rural LGA 1 FCT AMAC Bwari North-Central Plateau Jos South Wase North-East Gombe Akko Kaltingo, Kwami North-West Jigawa Duste Kiyawa Of the total 102 KIIs and 194 FGDs, 83 KIIs and 145 FGDs were conducted with the general population. KIIs were conducted with traditional and religious leaders, women’s leaders including some state-level representatives of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, civil society organization leaders, and youth and community leaders. A total of 42 KIIs and 71 FGDs were conducted in the North while the remaining 41 KIIs and 74 FGDs were conducted in the South. The total number of FGDs and KIIs by state, location, and number of participants is shown in Table 12. Table 12. FGDs by state, urban/rural location, and number of participants—general population FGDs Total   State Urban FGD Rural FGD participants Percent female KIIs Bauchi 4 8 97 49.5 7 Gombe 4 9 90 54.4 7 Kebbi 4 8 93 36.6 7 North Niger 4 8 116 75.0 7 Plateau 4 8 84 48.8 7 Sokoto 4 6 78 48.7 7 Abia 4 8 95 50.5 7 Akwa Ibom 4 8 102 39.2 7 Cross River 4 8 88 47.7 7 South Ebonyi 4 8 110 47.3 7 Ekiti 4 7 66 53.0 6 Ogun 7 8 124 50.8 7 Total 51 94 1,143 50.5 83 In addition, 19 KIIs and 49 FGDs were conducted with “special groups,” specifically, pastoralists (both sedentary and nomadic), IDPs, and persons with a range of disabilities. Persons with disabilities in the study included those with physical disabilities, with visual disabilities, and suffering from leprosy. Most of the pastoralist and IDP research was in the North because the population of pastoralists and IDPs is larger in the North than in the South. Twenty of the FGDs with IDPs and 13 with pastoralists were conducted in the North. KIIs were conducted with leaders of each of these groups. Table 13 lists the total number of FGDs and KIIs conducted with pastoralists, IDPs, and persons with disabilities. Annex es 105 Table 13: FGDs and KIIs by state and type of special group FGDs Internally displaced Persons with   State people Pastoralists disabilities KIIs FCT 5 3 0 3 Plateau 4 3 2 2 Gombe 5 3 1 5 Jigawa 4 3 0 2 North Bauchi 0 0 2 2 Kebbi 0 0 1 1 Niger 0 1 0 1 Sokoto 2 0 0 0 Abia 0 0 2 1 Akwa Ibom 2 0 0 0 South Ebonyi 0 2 0 1 Ekiti 0 0 1 0 Cross River 3 0 0 1 Total 25 15 9 19 A.3 Sample Characteristics of FGD Participants We have sample characteristics of a total of 1,210 participants. From this total, we have sample characteristics of 657 participants from the six southern states (of which 47.2 percent were women) and 553 participants from the six northern states (of which 53.3 percent were women), which were included in the FGDs. While the goal was to have 8–10 individuals per FGD, in some cases fewer than 8 women were available for a session, typically either because women were not willing to sit through the interview in the absence of their husbands or because they were constrained by other household engagements. It proved more difficult to recruit participants to FGDs in some states than others (Figure 10). In the southern zone, Ekiti State accounts for the smallest percentage of participants. In the northern zone, fewer people participated in Sokoto and Kebbi than in the other states. These states are logistically harder to reach and have more security issues than the other states, which affect the feasibility of conducting a larger number of FGDs. Figure 11 shows the proportion of men and women interviewed in each state in the northern and southern zones. The smallest proportion of women interviewed in the southern zone resided in Akwa Ibom (40 percent); at the other end of the spectrum 60 percent of participants in Ekiti State were women. The state-wise sex ratio of participants also varied more between states in the North than in the South. Notably fewer women than men were reached in the northern states of Sokoto and Kebbi, while the majority of participants reached in Niger were female. Table 14 provides complete sample characteristics. There were no statistically significant differences between men’s and women’s socioeconomic characteristics, such as rural/urban residence, marital status, highest educational level, and so forth in the southern states. In the northern zone, in contrast, there were statistically significant differences in the level of education attained. Almost two-thirds of female participants reported low levels of educational attainment (60.3 percent), compared to only one-third of male participants (37.8 percent). Male participants in northern states were twice as likely as their female co-residents to have continued their education past high school. These patterns are consistent with overall gender differentials in the North, as described in Chapter 2. In general, participants in the South were more likely to have higher education levels than those in the North, again consistent with regional patterns. BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 106 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY Figure All respondents who the questions of FGD participants by state 10. Distribution answered All respondents who answered the questions North 24.3 Niger North 22.1 24.3 Bauchi Niger 19.6 North 22.1 Plateau Bauchi 19.2 19.6 North Gambe Plateau Kobbi 11.2 19.2 Gambe Sokoto 3.7 11.2 Kobbi Sokoto 3.7 South 19.2 Ebonyi 18.0 South 19.2 Akawa Ibom Ebonyi 17.4 South 18.0 Ogum Akawa Ibom 17.4 17.4 South Cross River Ogum Abia 16.9 17.4 Cross River Akiti 11.3 16.9 Abia Akiti 11.3 Figure 11. Sex distribution of FGD participants by state 100 100 80 80 Percent 60 Percent 60 40 40 20 20 0 Akawa Ibom Ebonyi Abia Kobbi AkitiBauchi Gambe Cross River Ogum Cross River Abia Sokoto Plateau Bauchi Niger Ogum Akiti 0 Akawa Ibom Ebonyi Kobbi Gambe Sokoto Plateau Niger South North Female Male South North Female Male Annex es 107 Table 14. Complete sample characteristics SOUTHERN STATES (%) NORTHERN STATES (%) Female Male Total Female Male Total State (southern zones) Total Abia 18.1 15.9 16.9 -- -- -- Akwa Ibom 15.5 20.2 18.0 -- -- -- Cross river 16.1 18.4 17.4 -- -- -- Ebonyi 19.4 19.0 19.2 -- -- -- Ekiti 13.9 8.9 11.3 -- -- -- Ogun 17.1 17.6 17.4 -- -- -- State (northern zones) Bauchi -- -- -- 18.9 22.2 20.4 Gombe -- -- -- 16.9 18.7 17.7 Kebbi -- -- -- 14.2 22.2 17.9 Niger -- -- -- 32.1 11.3 22.4 Plateau -- -- -- 16.9 19.5 18.1 Sokoto -- -- -- 1.0 6.2 3.4 Residence Rural 61.5 59.9 60.7 64.5 66.5 65.5 Urban 38.5 40.1 39.3 35.5 33.5 34.5 Marital status Divorced, separated or widowed 3.6 2.0 2.7 2.0 1.2 1.6 Married 58.7 57.1 57.8 69.3 60.7 65.3 Single 37.7 40.9 39.4 28.7 38.1 33.1 Highest eduction level None to primary complete 24.2 25.1 24.7 61.5 31.1 47.4 Junior secondary - high school 48.1 51.9 50.1 22.3 31.1 26.4 Post high school 27.7 23.1 25.3 16.2 37.7 26.2 Religion Christianity 86.5 83.6 84.9 18.9 16.0 17.5 Islam 11.6 13.5 12.6 81.1 84.1 82.5 Traditional beliefs 1.9 2.9 2.4 Age group Older (over 25 years) 50.7 58.5 54.8 46.6 57.6 51.7 Younger (16-25 years) 49.4 41.5 45.2 53.4 42.4 48.3 Sex of respondent 47.2 52.8 53.3 46.5 Total number in study 310 347 657 296 257 553 BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 108 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY ANNEX 2: About the Nigeria ID Project YOUR LOGO HERE NIGERIA DIGITAL IDENTIFICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT (ID4D) PROJECT SHEET id4d.worldbank.org PROJECT CONTEXT Nigeria’s existing foundational ID systems, including the national ID and civil registration (CR) systems, suffer from low coverage across the population. Only 18 percent of individuals have a National Identity Number (NIN) and only 43 percent of new births are registered in the CR. The gap in ID coverage disproportionately affects women and other marginalized and vulnerable groups. A number of challenges have held back previous efforts to improve the ID system in Nigeria and allow the population to access crucial rights and services, including: • A fragmented ID landscape in Nigeria resulting in • Overly complex national ID program, including duplicative investment collection of unnecessary data and issuance of overly • Insufficient enrollment points that were inaccessible to sophisticated credentials, slowing down progress many people, particularly in rural areas towards coverage targets • Lack of mechanisms for enrolling undocumented persons • Inadequate legal framework and insufficient protections for data protection and privacy • No integration between the national ID system and the paper-based CR system PROJECT OVERVIEW Against this backdrop, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) created a shared vision to develop a foundational ID system that would be accessible to all persons in Nigeria and provide proof of identity that would allow them to more easily access services. This vision was reflected in the Strategic Roadmap for Digital Identification in Nigeria, which was endorsed as the official national ID strategy in 2018 by the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Buhari, to ensure political commitment at the highest level of government. The Nigeria Digital ID4D Project was conceived in collaboration between the World Bank, the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD), and European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the FGN to achieve strategic objectives for universal ID and CR systems implementing best practices. The project will support the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to issue an ID to all persons in Nigeria, working with other key stakeholders to achieve this common goal. Through the foundational ID system, the project will close gender gaps in ID access and foster inclusion for marginalized groups. COMPONENT 1: COMPONENT 2: COMPONENT 3: COMPONENT 4: Strengthening the Establishing a Enabling Access to Project Management Legal and Institutional Robust and Inclusive Services through IDs and Stakeholder Framework Foundational ID System Engagement National legal Includes establishing Support linkages Project management frameworks and a central digital between strategically and support for capacity building identification system; chosen public and conducting a supporting to support inclusive enrolling residents private services and communications foundational and Nigerians abroad; the foundational ID campaign and ensuring identification, data distributing a basic system to ensure the stakeholder engagement protection and privacy, credential; bolstering identification system & grievance redress. and use of ID to access civil registration; enables access and services. and strengthening inclusion. cybersecurity. Annex es 109 LEGAL FRAMEWORK & DATA PROTECTION “PILLARS OF INCLUSION” • National ID legal framework that removes eligibility Firm government commitment that NIN is accessible to all, barriers ensuring inclusion and non-discrimination including: • National data protection legislation based on best • Residents and non-citizens practice • Undocumented persons • Establishing data protection commission • Persons with disabilities • Persons who are unable to provide biometric data PRIVACY BY DESIGN MARGINALIZED GROUPS Global best practices on privacy integrated into technical Extensive research and consultations with marginalized design: groups including: • Purpose limitation: only minimal data collected • Women • Harmonization of fragmented ID landscape to reduce • Persons with disabilities data duplication • Pastoralists and nomadic groups • Strong authentication of authorized users • Refugees and IDPs (in collaboration with UNHCR) • Encryption of all personal data The project will support comprehensive reforms to the Nigerian identification landscape by: (1) strengthening the legal and institutional framework for ID, including data protection and privacy; (2) establishing a robust and inclusive foundational ID system, including civil registration; (3) enabling access to services through IDs; and (4) project management and stakeholder engagement. The project will increase coverage of the national ID in Nigeria from 40 million to 148 million persons by 2024. The project will leverage the existing enrollment ecosystem and relevant institutions, such as National Population Commission (NPopC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), to multiply NIMC’s enrollment capacity, unlocking the potential to enroll every individual in Nigeria. By breaking all ID stakeholders out of their silos and channeling their efforts to solve Nigeria’s ID challenges collectively, the project will create a national public good for the benefit of all. The project will also develop a business model for the relevant stakeholders with incentives calibrated to bring enrollment closer to communities and ensure that the system reaches all people in Nigeria, including the vulnerable and hardest-to-reach populations, while remaining cost-effective and perceived as fair by all stakeholders. The project will implement global best practices to ensure that the systems safeguard enrollees’ privacy and adequately protect personal data. To ensure sustainability of the foundational ID system, the project will support the development of continuous mechanisms for digitally registering births, improving access to birth registration while also allowing national ID numbers to be generated from birth. These mechanisms will in turn providing for the long-term integration of national ID and civil registration in Nigeria. Throughout the entire project cycle, Nigeria ID4D Project will put a particular focus on inclusive and nondiscriminatory coverage of national IDs, on the protection of personal data and privacy, as well as ensuring that the IDs issued can be used by the population to benefit from their rights and access essential public and private services. The project will address and mitigate exclusion risks by incorporating grievance-redress and oversight mechanisms in NIMC’s existing customer service department. Through strong public awareness campaign, outreach strategies, an inclusive and transparent communications plan, and continuous stakeholder engagement will further help manage other social risks. ENROLLMENT ECOSYSTEM NIMC NIMC Provide individuals’ national ID agency ü Stores core data enrollment data Provide IDs for Unique ID NPOPC and services to ü Sets data civil registry individuals standards, certifies field Provides NIN Public Sector operators Development Partners Private Sector Civil Society BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 110 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY id4d.worldbank.org BA RR IE RS TO T H E IN CLUSIO N O F WO MEN AND MARGINALIZED 112 G RO U PS IN N IGE R IA’S ID SYSTEM : FINDINGS AND SO LUTIO NS F RO M AN IN -D E PT H QUALITATIVE STUDY