Tinubu Directs NIMC To Enrol All Nigerians By End Of 2026

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is captured in the National Identity Database before the end of 2026 as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive identity management system for the country.

The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker Odusote, disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where she explained that the presidential directive was aimed at ensuring that no Nigerian is left outside the national identity system.

According to her, the National Identification Number (NIN) remains the unique identifier for Nigerians, adding that the system is designed to ensure that individuals are enrolled only once while creating a reliable database for governance and public service delivery.

Coker Odusote said the commission is expanding its enrolment strategy beyond its traditional offices by taking registration services to communities and wards across the country through partnerships under the World Bank supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project.

She noted that NIMC has engaged front end partners within the digital identity ecosystem to assist with capturing citizens at the grassroots level, stressing that the approach would help accelerate the drive to register every Nigerian before the deadline.

The NIMC boss revealed that more than 137 million Nigerians had already been enrolled into the National Identification Number database, but added that millions of people are still expected to be captured because the actual population of the country remains uncertain.

She explained that estimates of Nigeria’s population range between 200 million and 250 million, noting that completing the nationwide enrolment would provide the country with accurate population data needed for effective planning and resource allocation.

“Your identity is basically the foundation for effective governance and service delivery,” she said, adding that government planning becomes difficult without accurate information on the number of people living in the country.

The directive comes shortly after President Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 into law, a legislation aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital identity framework, improve data protection and expand the role of NIMC in managing the country’s identity infrastructure.

The new law replaces the previous 2007 framework and positions NIMC as a central institution for digital identity verification, authentication and related digital infrastructure services.

The Federal Government has maintained that a credible national identity system will support better security coordination, improve access to government services, strengthen social intervention programmes and promote digital economic activities.

With the 2026 deadline set by the President, NIMC is expected to intensify nationwide registration efforts as the government moves towards achieving a complete and reliable identity database for all Nigerians.

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