President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enrol every Nigerian in the national identity database before the end of 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen governance and improve public service delivery.
NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote disclosed the directive during a television interview, saying the commission is scaling up enrolment nationwide under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project.
She said NIMC is working with private-sector enrolment partners to accelerate registration and ensure every Nigerian obtains a National Identification Number (NIN) within the timeline set by the President.
Coker-Odusote said completing nationwide enrolment would provide accurate population data needed for effective national planning, policy formulation and service delivery.
She added that the commission’s upgraded biometric verification system now uses fingerprints and facial recognition to prevent duplicate registrations and ensure that each person is enrolled only once.
According to her, the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 strengthens the commission’s role as Nigeria’s sole custodian of biometric identity data and reinforces the government’s “One Person, One Identity” policy.
The new law makes the National Identification Number the primary identity credential for accessing key public and private services, including banking, passport applications, taxation, pensions, land transactions and consumer credit.
Coker-Odusote also said the legislation introduces tougher penalties for identity theft, multiple registrations and the unauthorised use of personal identity data while strengthening privacy protections.
About The Author
