President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to register every Nigerian into the National Identity Number (NIN) database before the end of 2026 in order to strengthen digital identity, improve governance and enhance public service delivery.
The directive was disclosed by NIMC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
According to her, the nationwide enrolment agenda is being accelerated through the World Bank-backed Identification for Development (ID4D) project, which allows licensed private partners to register citizens on behalf of the commission.
She explained that the National Identification Number serves as a unique digital identifier, adding that the exercise would enable the government to determine Nigeria’s actual population, which is currently estimated at between 200 million and 250 million people.
Coker-Odusote said a comprehensive national identity database is critical for effective governance, planning and the delivery of public services.
“The President has given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian” – Coker-Odusote, NIMC DG
She also assured Nigerians that the commission’s upgraded biometric verification system prevents multiple registrations by using fingerprint and facial recognition technology to identify duplicate enrolments before new identities are issued.
