Adesola Bickersteth is the general manager Chams City , a world-class ICT company.
 Bickersteth is a seasoned Internet specialist who has distinguished himself professionally in the ICT industry with bias in e-Commerce arena over the past eleven years.
The graduate of Electronics and Electrical Engineering has worked on major international and local projects before joining Chams. He spoke to chike onwuegbuchi and funmi ilesanmi.

Agreement Signed with National Identity Card Scheme
 I am sure you will agree with me that in Nigeria, it is so difficult for us to have an accurate number on population.
In order for us to have the actual number on how many people who are truly Nigerians living in Nigeria or abroad; we need to capture that data moving from one local government to state government and of course looking at it from the federal level. In order for us to have the actual number, we need to have an identity. As responsible Nigerians, we owe it to ourselves to carry a national identity card. This will go a long way in avoiding foreigners who claim to be Nigerians defrauding us. It is mandatory for the federal government to ensure that each Nigerian carries a national identity card that we can use to our benefit. This is how the government can plan effectively in terms of providing health services. You know how many people live in a particular local government, you know how much fund to make available to them for the provision of basic amenities, without data it is impossible to plan effectively and that is why we have shortcomings. It is a wonderful thing we are doing and we are grateful to the government for giving us an opportunity to do something that will benefit all Nigerians.
Relevance of National Identity Card
Yes, the national ID card is relevant. The goal here is to synchronize it into a card that will have a multipurpose effect. It is going to be the same for all Nigerians regardless of region.
Capacity to Handle the Contract
I can assure you that our leaders in government did not award us the contract with their eyes closed. They were referred to us when they traveled abroad to source for the machinery to get this done. They were referred to Chams on the ground that we have what they were looking for. The government took the right and appropriate steps to ensure that we have the machinery and capacity to deliver. This was thoroughly investigated before we were awarded the contract.
Benefits of LASG Biometric Card
There are a lot of benefits to it and I am so happy that we have a wonderful governor in the person of Fashola. I guess intelligence is playing out here. He knows the relevance and importance of this and that is why his administration is revenue generation driven by way of us paying our taxes and levies because by doing that you are socially responsible to the community you live in. This is where money is generated from to provide the immediate infrastructure we need. Without data, planning will be done with the eyes closed and this is where we have missed it in time past and I am happy that Chams as a company and Chams City as a business unit are contributing to the success of capturing the data of all Lagosians. We are not restricted to Lagos alone; most states are catching up because they have seen the value in doing this. If I knew that instead of doing a guess work, we have 10 million people living in Lagos, that way we will be able to plan better. We cannot continue to demand and not give back to the state. Our own way of helping is to capture the biometrics of all Lagosians so that the government would have the information to plan adequately. We cannot continue to chase shadows. For example, in Canada, it is mandatory within 10 days to provide your new address to the ministry for them to know that this individual has moved to another neighbourhood so that when allocations are made, they know who gets more and who gets less. It is a crucial information and we have been getting positive responses.
Proof of Biometrics Registration
By capturing that data, it would be very relevant not just to Lagos State but to all states in Nigeria. The information would be stored here and we are going to have backups and everyone would definitely carry a card.
Offering Competitive Training
We believe strongly in giving back to the society. Aside that, in everything we do, we put our trust in God because what we do is highly sensitive. You need the fear of God to be consistent and effective in delivering. We did our feasibility study and we know how much the cheapest IT training costs. Instead of going out there to pay N10,500  for the cheapest IT training, we charge N5,000 for any e-learning course. The only requirement for anyone to use our facility is to be registered and enrolled by way of biometrics because you are coming into an environment where we have secured information; therefore, we need to capture who you are and store it. You will be required for the first time to pay N4,500 for one month access depending on your course duration. In comparism to how much is paid outside, it is very cheap. At the moment we have 850 professional courses that we offer online at the convenience of your home. If you want to come into our facility, you can be rest assured of electricity 24/7. We provide an environment conducive for people to learn and at an affordable rate. We live in the real world so we know what it takes.
Outsourcing IVR to Telcos
We do not outsource to telcos, it is an in-house thing. We have different packages that would be affordable to all, no matter how small the business is. Instead of employing physical bodies which would be more expensive, the smallest business owner can afford to have an IVR service. We reach out to a lot of people. We have different options in our call centres, companies can either bring in bodies or train them but we provide them seats. A seat costs N90,000 per month or if you want to supply the individual  and everything else that comes with it, it is N150,000 a month. There would be no more excuses why people cannot reach you or if you want certain information relayed to your customers consistently, we would show you what the price structure would look like. It would be of huge benefit to Nigerians in terms of general information about any key place in Nigeria. You do not have to rely on anyone to tell you where to go in case you need something. We have been deprived of access to information for so long. You can get the information whenever you need it because information is power.
Guinness World of Records Awards
The award means a lot. We are the largest digital mall in the whole world. The closest to us is in New York with 670 Pcs in one location. We have 1,000 Pcs in this location, 1,000 at our Abuja location and in the next six months we would have a larger structure than this in McCarthy at Onikan in Lagos. In about a month’s time, we would have another location in Abuja and the plan for 2010 is to have additional seven locations across Nigeria. Hopefully, in the next three years, we would be present in all key states in Nigeria because we are universal. What the award has done for us is to ensure that we always put the right foot forward and we are always thinking ahead. That is why as part of our slogan, innovation in the future tense, that is continuous innovation. It is about trust in God, hardwork, dedication, creativity, the total package is endless.
Expansion Policy
It is the law of demand and supply. We have seen the need in Lagos and Abuja. We are working very hard to come up with structures in Benin, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Kano. It might not be as big as what we have in Lagos but it is definitely coming. We do not want to take on too many projects all at the same time. We refocus our energy because we have seen the demand for it. A lot of money is involved in the project and we are being proactive in the steps we are taking but you can be rest assured that Nigerians will feel us all over the country.
Use of Biometrics to Solve Fraud Problems
Biometrics is all about capturing fingerprints and no two people have the same DNA. It is unique to each individual unless someone cuts off someone else’s thumb and puts it there. Before they could even achieve that, I am sure the bank must have been notified. For extra protection of our individual identity in banks, biometrics is the answer.
Level of Discussion with Banks
I do know that banks have come up with a chip and pin card which is a better technology that can be effectively managed to prevent fraud. Already, banks are taking steps but ours would be an added value. We are doing everything we can to support the banks and we are indirectly supporting Nigerians to ensure we are secured from ATM fraud. We have a responsibility as individuals to ensure that our pin is not written anywhere but in our brain. We owe it to ourselves to be security conscious.    
Services Offered by Chams
Chams City is a growing nationwide network of world class digital facilities that can be used by government agencies, institutions, organizations and service providers as well as individuals to enhance their operations, business activities and electronic transactions. Also, Chams City has the world record for the largest number of Pcs in one digital facility and has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Chams City offers 1,000 fully network Pcs in a location that enables processing and activation of a wide range of transactions simultaneously. Until Chams City, the world’s largest digital mall in New York offered not more than 670 Pcs.
In terms of facility users, agencies become merchants on our platform and use our facilities to conduct their businesses, they go out there, source for the business, come in here and we provide the facilities not the service. A lot of people make the mistake of referring to Chams as a service provider but we do not provide service because we do not want to compete with our clients.
We also have training rooms, call centre with IVR (Interactive Voice Response) capability, test centres, virtual offices and conference rooms. We have different rooms, different centres within the facility itself for business owners and individuals to come in and conduct their businesses.
We provide unrivalled high level platform for the execution of writing computer based examinations. We have over a thousand fully network large screen computers where prospective employers can test and streamline large number of applications.