The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to achieve universal digital identity enrolment across Nigeria, unveiling a coordinated nationwide campaign aimed at registering an estimated 100 million additional Nigerians into the National Identity Database through a strengthened partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The initiative, which forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, will leverage the extensive grassroots network of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), federal information platforms and a nationwide ward-by-ward enrolment exercise to ensure that every Nigerian and legal resident obtains a National Identification Number (NIN).
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed the government’s renewed commitment on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and members of her management team during a courtesy visit to present the strategic implications of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026.
The meeting focused on the implementation of the new legislation, which significantly reforms Nigeria’s identity management framework by strengthening legal provisions on digital identity, cybersecurity, data protection and digital public infrastructure.
Speaking during the meeting, Idris described a comprehensive national identity system as fundamental to effective governance, national planning, economic reforms, financial inclusion and digital transformation.
According to him, reliable demographic data is indispensable for implementing government policies and ensuring that public interventions reach the intended beneficiaries.
“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, noting that the enrolment of more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents into the National Identity Database represents a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey.
Idris stressed that the government remains determined to register the estimated 100 million Nigerians who are yet to be captured.
“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 urged NIMC to deepen collaboration with the National Orientation Agency, describing the agency’s presence across all 774 local government areas as critical to reaching citizens in remote communities.
He said effective public enlightenment remains one of the most important components of achieving universal identity coverage.
“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 said.
Idris also pledged the full support of government-owned communication platforms, including the News Agency of Nigeria, to sustain nationwide awareness campaigns on the benefits of digital identity registration.
He further applauded NIMC for maintaining what he described as an impeccable data security record.
“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,” he added.
The Director-General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to support the enrolment campaign through its nationwide network.
He said the agency would continue working with NIMC to ensure residents of rural and underserved communities understand the importance of obtaining a National Identification Number and are not excluded from government programmes and social interventions.
“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.
Responding, Coker-Odusote said the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s identity management architecture by introducing stronger safeguards for data privacy, cybersecurity, digital trust and digital public infrastructure.
She revealed that NIMC has already commenced a nationwide ward-by-ward enrolment exercise across Nigeria’s 8,809 political wards following a directive from President Tinubu.
According to her, the initiative is designed to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations including women, children, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, refugees, legal residents and Nigerians living abroad are fully integrated into the National Identity Database.
“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 added that the commission is collaborating with security agencies and other institutions to combat identity fraud, strengthen digital trust and support the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Highlighting the significance of the legislation, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, described the Act as a landmark reform that transforms the commission from a database manager into Nigeria’s foundational digital identity authority.
He explained that the legislation provides the legal framework for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), stronger data protection measures and broader integration of the National Identification Number into public and private sector services.
According to Adegoke, NIMC has already integrated its systems with more than 250 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while introducing digital innovations that have significantly reduced enrolment time and improved service delivery.
