President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the country’s National Identity Number (NIN) database before the end of 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen national planning, digital governance and public service delivery.
The Federal Government has intensified its drive toward a comprehensive national identity system after President Bola Tinubu ordered the National Identity Management Commission to complete the enrolment of all Nigerians into the National Identity Number database before December 2026.
The directive is expected to accelerate one of Nigeria’s most ambitious digital identity projects, with authorities saying an accurate identity database is critical for governance, security and economic planning.
The disclosure was made by NIMC Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, who said the President had instructed the commission to ensure every Nigerian is captured in the national identity database before the deadline.
According to her, the nationwide enrolment campaign forms part of the administration’s strategy to establish a reliable identity ecosystem that supports efficient government services and evidence-based national planning.
To meet the target, NIMC said it is expanding registration beyond its traditional offices through the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) programme.
The commission has partnered with accredited private enrolment agents who will conduct registrations in wards and communities across the country, bringing NIN enrolment closer to citizens in rural and underserved areas.
Officials say completing nationwide enrolment will enable government to determine Nigeria’s actual population, improve public policy planning and strengthen identity verification across sectors including banking, telecommunications, healthcare, taxation and social intervention programmes.
NIMC also stated that its upgraded biometric system is designed to detect and eliminate duplicate registrations, ensuring that every individual is assigned only one unique identity.
The presidential directive signals a renewed push to complete Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure after years of gradual expansion. With the end-of-2026 deadline now in place, attention will focus on whether NIMC can achieve universal enrolment within the stipulated timeframe while maintaining accurate and secure identity records.