By Mercy Aikoye
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has intensified engagements with key government institutions as part of efforts to drive the implementation of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 and strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
The commission’s management, led by its Director-General, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, visited the National Revenue Service (NRS) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in Abuja on Tuesday, where it sought deeper cooperation in leveraging digital identity for improved governance and service delivery.
Coker-Odusote said the engagements were necessary to create awareness about the provisions of the new law, which she described as a major milestone in modernising Nigeria’s identity management framework.
She noted that the legislation, which repealed and re-enacted the NIMC Act 2007 after 19 years, provides a stronger foundation for digital transformation and inter-agency collaboration.
“Our law had not been updated in 19 years. Today, we have a modern legal framework that positions Nigeria for greater digital transformation,” she said.
The NIMC chief executive said the updated legal framework would enable government institutions to deliver services more efficiently through a trusted identity system, adding that digital identity had become critical to national development.
At the National Revenue Service, she described the partnership between both agencies as strategic, stressing that identity verification remained central to building trust in public services and revenue administration.
The Executive Chairman of the NRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, commended NIMC for the successful implementation of the new Act, noting that a reliable digital identity system would enhance revenue collection processes and strengthen public service delivery.
Similarly, during the visit to the Bureau of Public Procurement, Coker-Odusote said the new legislation had opened new opportunities for collaboration between both agencies in ensuring transparency and efficiency in government transactions.
The Director-General of BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, welcomed the initiative and urged NIMC to sustain its nationwide sensitisation campaign on the new law.
Adedokun said a trusted digital identity system had already contributed to improvements in sectors such as banking, contractor verification and investment, adding that stronger identity infrastructure would make public procurement processes more effective.
He expressed the readiness of the procurement bureau to partner with NIMC through data sharing, monitoring and other areas of cooperation to ensure the success of the reform.
