The Kwara State Residents Registration Agency (KWASRRA) has so far captured over 350,000 residents in its ongoing effort to create a credible database for planning, security, and economic development.
The Acting General Manager of the Agency, Mr. Tajudeen Jimoh, made the disclosure on Wednesday during the Q1 2025 Inter-ministerial Press Briefing organized by the Ministry of Communications and held at the Ministry of Finance conference room in Ilorin.
Jimoh explained that the Agency, under the directive of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is mandated to register all residents in the state and issue them unique State Security Identification (SSID) numbers and cards. He said the exercise is aimed at promoting accurate data for planning, improving access to government services, and ensuring social inclusion.
He said the registration is now being integrated into key sectors such as education and local governance.
Parents, guardians, and students will be required to present their SSID numbers for examination registrations, including common entrance, JSS, and SSCE. Similarly, newly admitted students in state-owned tertiary institutions will be required to register as residents of Kwara.
The Agency is collaborating with the Ministries of Education, Tertiary Education, Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Community Development, among others, to ensure compliance with the directive and drive increased public participation in the exercise.
Providing a breakdown of progress, Jimoh noted that the number of registration centres has increased from an average of six per local government to eight, raising the total from 96 to 113 across the 16 local government areas. The Agency also recruited 200 additional ad-hoc staff, raising the workforce of registration agents from 300 to 500 to enhance coverage and efficiency.
He said the distribution of SSID cards to residents is ongoing, with more Kwarans being fully registered each day. Jimoh also noted that the registration project’s consultant now has a permanent office in Ilorin, improving service delivery and response time to complaints.
Looking ahead, the Agency plans to expand its online self-onboarding platform to include liveness checks and face-matching features. This development will enable residents, particularly pensioners and others living outside the state or country, to complete their registration without needing to appear physically.
Jimoh said that the government is determined to remove all barriers to participation, especially for vulnerable groups, and encouraged residents to register and support the state’s effort to build a functional, secure, and inclusive data system.
He recalled that all government workers and pensioners had already been captured in the database, a milestone in the state’s plan to use data to enhance governance and security.
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