Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Nigerian biometrics failing employees

Monday, July 21, 2008

In an effort to improve payroll in Yobe state in Nigeria, government agencies installed biometric tracking of employees to rid themselves of “ghost workers,” according to an All Africa article.

Since installation of the new devices in February, however, more than 7,000 employees have not been paid.The glitch in the payroll is due in part to the new biometric system writing off many of the employees as names or documents were omitted during data collection for the new system.


While Comrade Mohammed Bukar, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, feels for the employees missing pay, he still sees the new system as a success as it has led to higher pay for real workers.

More than half of the 7,000 workers waiting on their paycheck are expected to begin receiving their pay shortly while the rest are expected to follow soon after.

Read the full story here [end] 

DigitalPersona Inc. announced that tanning salon company Zoom Tan has integrated DigitalPersona U.are.U Fingerprint Readers into the company’s customer- and employee-facing ZoomPay software.

With ZoomPay, salon members can use their fingerprint to sign-in for tanning sessions and make purchases without the need to bring their credit cards or membership information to the salon. Similarly, employees can use ZoomPay to clock in.

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The Nigerian Minister of Power, Berth Nnaji, announced that workers at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) will have to use biometric identification verification if they want to receive their paychecks, according to a Next article.

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The Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will begin enrolling Nigerian citizens and legal residents into the Nigerian Identity Management System (NIMS) within the next few weeks, reports Business Day.

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Hooters Restaurants has implemented biometric fingerprint readers as a means to prevent loss in transaction and payroll fraud at the restaurant level.

Hooters contracted with DigitalPersona Inc. to install the provider’s U.are.U fingerprint readers with ITWercs Point-of-Sale software in restaurant units. Hooters employees use the readers to authenticate transactions and clock in and out for shifts.

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The U.S. government’s Advanced Analytic Capabilities Subgroup of the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) has awarded a research and development contract to voice biometrics technology provider Agnitio Corp. to speed up development and deliver an improved capabilities for voice biometrics-based mobile phone security.

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2012 is meant to be “the year of the contactless payment,” however a number of industry analysts believe that the technology is failing and, in turn, costing the consumer money, according to This is Money.

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