A development advocate has identified the absence of a comprehensive and centralised citizen identification system as one of the major structural challenges confronting Katsina State, arguing that it undermines the effectiveness of government social interventions.
Engr. Kabiru el-Hussain Rumah, Jakadan Rumah and Founder/Chief Executive Officer of the Jakadan Rumah Foundation (JRF), made the assertion while analysing what he described as the “poor targeting” of beneficiaries in many state-backed empowerment and welfare programmes.
According to him, although the Katsina State Government has rolled out various forms of assistance over the years, many of the interventions yield minimal visible impact at the grassroots level because beneficiaries are not scientifically and objectively identified.
He explained that the core of the problem lies in the absence of a central, neutral and foundational database of all indigenes of the state. “Government is governing people about whom it has little structured data — who they are, where they live, their socio-economic conditions, and what specific interventions they require,” he said.
Engr. Rumah clarified that his position does not suggest the government has no data at all. Rather, he noted that existing records are largely functional databases created for specific administrative purposes. These include taxpayer records managed by the Katsina Internal Revenue Service (KTIRS), land ownership records under the Ministry of Lands and Survey, enrolment data within the education ministries, civil service records under the Office of the Head of Service, and health insurance enrolment data through the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KTSCHMA). He also referenced political party membership registers.
However, he argued that such databases are limited in scope and cannot serve as a comprehensive tool for planning and implementing broad-based public interventions.
“These are functional identity systems tied to specific purposes like taxation, land administration or health insurance. What is lacking is a foundational identity system — a central database containing basic demographic and socio-economic information about all indigenes of Katsina State for general governance purposes,” he stated.
He further claimed that the absence of such a system often leads to reliance on political structures at ward and polling unit levels to identify beneficiaries of government programmes. According to him, this approach creates room for bias, inefficiency and, in some cases, alleged irregularities.
As an example, he recalled controversies surrounding the distribution of subsidised agricultural inputs in previous years, where complaints were reportedly submitted to the Katsina State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Engr. Rumah noted that several Nigerian states have recognised similar challenges and have established dedicated agencies to manage digital identity systems for strategic governance purposes. He cited Lagos, Kaduna and Jigawa states as examples of subnational governments that have invested in structured citizen data systems.
He therefore advocated the establishment of a Katsina State Identity Management Agency to create and manage a digital identity database for all indigenes of the state. Under such a system, he said, each resident would be assigned a digital identity number that could be used to access government services and enable evidence-based planning.
With a comprehensive digital identity framework in place, he explained, the government would be able to accurately identify and target specific groups — such as widows, vulnerable households or unemployed youths — without resorting to informal political channels for data collection.
He described the proposal as a pathway to what he termed “Evidence-Based Public Governance,” where policies, programmes and interventions are driven by verifiable data rather than assumptions.
According to him, effective identification of citizens is fundamental to efficient governance, transparency and equitable distribution of public resources.
