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By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 8 February 2013:
Deputy Prime Minister Abdulsalam Al-Gadi announced that over six million new National Identity Numbers have been . . .[restrict]issued for Libyans recently. The numbers had yet to be communicated to Libyan citizens, however.
Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, Al-Gadi said that about 6.2 million National Identity Numbers had been prepared for all those whose documents were in order at the Civil Affairs Registries.
Naji Bazeena, head of the National Identity Number Department, invited by the Deputy Minister to give more details explained that “the criteria for the National Identity Number under the previous regime were purely based on security. Now, and without the help of any foreign companies, using solely local manpower – we have successfully issued Libyan citizens a new National Identity Number”.
“The number is based on data at the 400 or so Civil Registry Offices all over the country, which are now interlinked by computer. No citizen is issued with a number unless their documentation is in order at the Civil Registries. The name, date of birth, sex and mother’s name, for example, must be clear. If there is doubt, people will not be issued a number and will be asked to refer to the Civil Registry. Only when the Civil Registry is happy will a new National Identity Number be issued”, explained Bazeena.
“Based on this number, ID cards, driving licences, passports etc, can now be issued. We will shortly start to communicate to citizens their new number through SMS and the internet.”
“The new National Identity Number”, Mr Bazeena added, “will offer equality of opportunity and reduce duplication and corruption, including the duplication of passports. It will also be the start of e-government in Libya” he confirmed.
“The new National Identity Number will give us many answers about duplication in passports, and jobs, and it will solve any database errors in age, sex, children etc. It will push us to take faster, easier and more accurate decisions”, Bazeena added.
It is worth noting that the Qaddafi regime had started on a national identity number system a few years ago, but despite issuing many cards, the system was never completed. Reporters asked if the new number was a continuation of that system, perceived by some as flawed, or if it was a brand new system.
“We started from zero”, stressed Deputy Minister Al-Gadi in his response.
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