The National Identity Management Commission says more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents are now enrolled in the National Identity Database, a milestone reached as a newly enacted law reshapes the legal foundation of the country’s digital identity system.
Director General Abisoye Coker Odusote disclosed the figure during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement on implementing the NIMC Act 2026, which repeals the 2007 legislation that previously governed the commission. She said the new law cements the National Identification Number as Nigeria’s single foundational identity under the federal government’s one person, one identity policy, designates NIMC as the root certificate authority for the country’s digital identity infrastructure, and strengthens data protection, cybersecurity and the deployment of secure digital credentials. She reaffirmed the government’s determination to enrol every Nigerian and legal resident and issue them a National Identification Number as quickly as possible, and said the commission is ready to work closely with the budget ministry to put the number to wider use in economic planning, social intervention programmes and broader development initiatives, while commending Minister Abubakar Bagudu for his support in getting the legislation implemented.
Bagudu, in response, called the NIMC Act 2026 a landmark reform that deepens Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and strengthens the foundation for national planning and governance, praising NIMC’s leadership for steering the legislation through, though he stressed that its real value depends on effective implementation and tangible benefits for citizens. He called for greater coordination among federal, state and local governments to build public confidence in the identity system and eliminate the patchwork of separate identity databases scattered across government institutions, arguing the National Identification Number should become Nigeria’s single universally recognised identity standard, one capable of improving service delivery, strengthening governance and supporting evidence based national planning. The enrolment of more than 136 million people marks one of the largest expansions of Nigeria’s identity database since NIMC’s founding, and is expected to support government efforts on financial inclusion, security, taxation and public service delivery going forward.
