The Federal Government has set a target of enrolling every Nigerian into the National Identity Number (NIN) database before the end of 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s digital identity system and improve public service delivery.
Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed the plan during an interview on Channels Television, saying President Bola Tinubu has directed the commission to achieve nationwide enrolment within the stipulated timeframe.
She explained that the exercise is aimed at establishing a comprehensive national identity database that will enhance governance, national planning and the efficient distribution of government services.
According to Coker-Odusote, NIMC has expanded its enrolment network by partnering with private operators under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) programme to make registration more accessible across the country.
She said the commission is taking registration closer to communities to ensure that every eligible Nigerian is captured before the deadline.
The NIMC boss noted that the National Identification Number serves as a permanent and unique identity for every individual, adding that the biometric-based system prevents multiple registrations through fingerprint and facial verification.
She also said the nationwide enrolment would provide the government with a more accurate figure of Nigeria’s population, which would aid planning and policy implementation.
Addressing concerns about duplicate identities, Coker-Odusote explained that NIMC’s upgraded verification platform now detects repeated enrolment attempts at the point of registration, ensuring that only one valid identity is assigned to each person.
She added that both public and private institutions are expected to rely on NIMC’s identity verification platform through secure digital integration rather than maintaining separate biometric databases. Telecommunications companies, she noted, already verify customers’ identities against the commission’s database during SIM registration.
The nationwide registration drive follows the enactment of the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026, which reinforces Nigeria’s “One Person, One Identity” policy and strengthens the role of the National Identification Number as the country’s primary identity credential for accessing government and essential private sector services.