The federal government has intensified efforts to achieve universal digital identity enrolment across the country through a strengthened partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The collaboration, officials said, is aimed at accelerating the enrolment of Nigerians into the National Identity Database as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja when he received the director-general and chief executive officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote and her management team during a courtesy visit.
The visit also provided NIMC the opportunity to present the provisions and strategic implications of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026.
Idris described a robust and inclusive national identity system as critical to effective governance, national planning, financial inclusion, digital transformation and the successful implementation of the Federal Government’s reform agenda.
“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?” the minister said.
He commended the leadership of Coker-Odusote for transforming the commission over the past three years, noting that more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents have now been enrolled into the National Identity Database.
“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 stated.
The minister stressed that achieving universal identity coverage would require sustained public enlightenment and grassroots mobilisation.
He urged NIMC to deepen collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), noting that the agency’s presence in all 774 local government areas provides an effective platform for reaching citizens nationwide.
“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,” Idris said.
He also praised NIMC for maintaining a secure identity management system without any reported data breaches.
According to him, all communication platforms under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, including the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), would be deployed to support nationwide sensitisation on the importance and benefits of digital identity.
“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,” he added.
Earlier, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to support 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,” Issa-Onilu said.
He added that the agency would continue working with NIMC to ensure rural and underserved communities understand the importance of obtaining a National Identification Number (NIN) and are not excluded from government programmes and services.
Responding, NIMC Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 modernises Nigeria’s identity management framework by introducing stronger provisions on data protection, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and digital trust.
She said the legislation positions NIMC as Nigeria’s foundational digital identity authority.
“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,” she said.
Coker-Odusote disclosed that the commission has commenced a nationwide ward-by-ward enrolment campaign covering Nigeria’s 8,809 political wards to ensure every eligible Nigerian is enrolled in the National Identity Database.
She said the exercise targets women, children, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, refugees, legal residents and Nigerians in the diaspora.
According to her, NIMC is also working closely with security agencies and other relevant institutions to combat identity fraud, strengthen digital trust and support the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Presenting highlights of the new legislation, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr Kayode Adegoke, described the Act as a landmark reform that fundamentally reshapes 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,” Adegoke said.
He explained that the law establishes a legal framework for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), stronger data privacy protections and expanded use of the National Identification Number across public and private sector services.
Adegoke added that NIMC has integrated its platform with more than 250 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while introducing digital innovations that have significantly improved service delivery and reduced enrolment time for Nigerians.
