The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to achieve universal digital identity enrolment across the country, unveiling a renewed partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure every Nigerian is captured in the National Identity Database.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and members of her management team during a courtesy visit to present the provisions of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026.
A statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Rabiu Ibrahim, on Wednesday, stated that the minister said a comprehensive national identity system remains critical to effective governance, national planning, financial inclusion and the successful implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, “Identity management is at the heart of the reform agenda of Mr. President, because if you are reforming, you have to know who you are reforming for. If you don’t know the number of people that you have and the demography and what they represent, how do you plan for them?”
Idris commended the leadership of Coker-Odusote for the progress made by the Commission over the past three years, noting that more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents have already been enrolled into the National Identity Database.
He, however, stressed that significant work still lies ahead.
“The 136 million already captured is very significant, but we still have about 100 million Nigerians left, and they also ought to be captured. Every Nigerian deserves to be included in our national planning,” he said.
The minister called for greater collaboration between NIMC and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), saying the agency’s presence in all 774 local government areas makes it well-positioned to drive public awareness and grassroots mobilisation.
“The National Orientation Agency is your best bet for reaching the grassroots. Please deepen your collaboration with NOA so that together we can ensure every Nigerian understands the importance of identity management,” he stated.
He also praised NIMC for maintaining a secure identity ecosystem, noting that no data breach has been recorded since the Commission’s transformation.
“I am happy to hear that you have not had a single data breach. Data privacy, transparency and public confidence are essential to the success of digital identity management, and we will continue to make all the communication platforms under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation available to support your public enlightenment efforts,” Idris added.
Speaking during the visit, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, pledged the agency’s support for NIMC’s nationwide enrolment campaign through its extensive grassroots network.
“We know we’ve been working together, but I hope you will be coming forward so we can see how we can assist you, because we are present in those areas where you want to go and carry out public enlightenment and sensitisation,” he said.
Issa-Onilu added that the agency would continue to work with NIMC to ensure residents of rural and underserved communities understand the importance of obtaining a National Identification Number (NIN) and are not excluded from government programmes.
Earlier, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 modernises Nigeria’s identity management framework by strengthening provisions on data protection, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and digital trust.
She disclosed that the Commission has commenced a nationwide ward-by-ward enrolment campaign across Nigeria’s 8,809 political wards in line with President Tinubu’s directive to ensure that every Nigerian, including women, children, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, refugees, legal residents and Nigerians in the diaspora, is enrolled in the National Identity Database.
According to her, “The President gave us marching orders to commence the ward enrolment exercise because he wanted the people in the rural areas and at the community level not to be disenfranchised from any government intervention programme.”
Coker-Odusote added that NIMC is collaborating with security agencies and other relevant institutions to tackle identity fraud, strengthen digital trust and support the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Also speaking, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr. Kayode Adegoke, described the NIMC Act 2026 as a landmark legislation that redefines Nigeria’s identity management architecture.
“NIMC has evolved from a database custodian to Nigeria’s foundational identity authority. NIMC is now the only authorised commission for digital identity management in Nigeria,” he said.
Adegoke explained that the new law establishes the legal framework for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), stronger data privacy protections and wider use of the National Identification Number across government and private sector services.
He added that the Commission has integrated its platform with more than 250 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while deploying digital innovations that have significantly improved service delivery and reduced enrolment time for Nigerians.
