By Danjuma Amodu
The Federal Government has set December 2026 as the deadline to achieve 95 per cent coverage of Nigeria’s population under the National Identification Number, NIN, system, as it moves to make digital identity the foundation for access to public services, financial transactions and social interventions.
The target was announced on Tuesday by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2026 National Day of Identity celebration in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the national identity database had grown from about 80 million NINs at the inception of the administration to nearly 140 million, describing it as a major step towards bringing more Nigerians and legal residents into the formal economy.
“Behind every NIN is a Nigerian with a recognised identity; a citizen or resident who can increasingly participate in the formal economy, access government services, establish financial relationships, and be better protected by the institutions of the Nigerian state,” he said.
He said the government is closing the remaining gap through ward-level enrolment, with free registration now taken to all 8,809 wards across the country and over 5,000 enrolment agents trained to reach persons with disabilities, elderly citizens and other vulnerable groups.
Gbajabiamila said the recently enacted National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 has strengthened the legal framework for identity management, with provisions on data protection, mandatory NIN usage in critical sectors and stiffer penalties for identity-related offences.
He described trusted identity as essential infrastructure for a modern economy, alongside roads, electricity, telecommunications and financial systems.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the register now contains more than 140 million Nigerians and legal residents, largely driven by the Ward-to-Ward Enrolment Project.
She said NIMC is also reforming service delivery for existing holders through its Self-Service Modification Platform, which has processed close to two million updates, reducing modification time from weeks to between 24 and 48 hours via mobile phones.
Coker-Odusote announced that Nigerians will begin receiving physical National e-ID Cards before the end of the year. The biometric cards, she said, will combine identity verification with access to government benefits and payments, including offline functionality for areas with limited connectivity.
“The physical card is not a promise for the distant future; it is actively in the deployment pipeline, and I am pleased to announce that Nigerians will begin holding physical e-ID cards in their hands before the year ends,” she said.
She added that the new law has expanded NIMC’s regulatory role in Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure, designating it as the National Root Certification Authority for the country’s Public Key Infrastructure and aligning its operations with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The push is already extending to other sectors. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said NIN-linked data is critical for tracking between 75 million and 80 million pupils and students across basic and post-basic education, identifying out-of-school children, deploying teachers and curbing multiple registrations.
“We cannot tackle the challenge of out-of-school children. We cannot identify and effectively target the intervention of every child without accurate data,” Alausa said.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, linked reliable identity to national security, economic development and social inclusion, saying verified population data would guide decisions on siting schools, health facilities and social protection programmes.
He however called for more accessible services, especially for Nigerians in the diaspora, closer inter-agency collaboration and stronger privacy safeguards.
The December deadline places NIMC and its partners under pressure to rapidly close the coverage gap while ensuring accuracy, security and protection of citizens’ data.
