President orders NIMC to capture every citizen as biometric system aims to end multiple identities and unlock accurate population data
President Bola Tinubu has issued a sweeping directive ordering the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enroll every Nigerian into the national identity database before the end of 2026, the commission’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, announced Sunday.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program, Coker-Odusote revealed that the President’s directive forms part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to build a comprehensive national identity system capable of supporting effective governance, planning, and public service delivery.
“The President has given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian,” she said.
One Person, One Identity
At the heart of the initiative is the National Identification Number (NIN), which serves as a unique identifier designed to ensure that each individual is enrolled only once.
“That’s why it’s called a unique identifier, so that you’re only enrolled once,” Coker-Odusote explained.
The NIMC has already enrolled more than 136 million Nigerians into the National Identity Database, according to figures released earlier this month. However, with population estimates ranging between 200 million and 250 million, tens of millions remain unregistered.
The Population Puzzle
Coker-Odusote emphasized that the mass enrollment exercise would finally settle the long-standing debate over Nigeria’s actual population—a critical piece of data for national planning.
“It is estimated that we’re 200 million. When we’re done enrolling, we will then know the actual numbers that we have. Some estimates say 230 million, while a few people say 250 million,” she stated.
“Your identity is basically the foundation for effective governance and service delivery. How can you plan if you don’t know the total number of persons that you have?” she asked.
The NIMC boss disclosed that the commission is working with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project to accelerate enrollment nationwide.
“What we have done is we have partnered through the World Bank ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem. These are private citizens that we’ve enabled and given jobs to enrol citizens on our behalf,” she explained.
Biometric Verification Ends Duplicate Registrations
Responding to concerns about multiple registrations, Coker-Odusote said the commission’s upgraded biometric verification system now prevents individuals from obtaining more than one identity in real time—a significant improvement over the previous system.
“The legacy system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database,” she explained.
“You would only have one identity generated for you. The other record goes into a deduplication bucket where it is invalidated,” she added.
The current system uses biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial recognition, making it virtually impossible for any individual to maintain multiple identities.
“One of the things that this Act has done is to cement our role in capturing biometrics. Private and public sector organisations will no longer capture biometrics independently. They will validate identities through API integration with NIMC,” Coker-Odusote said.
“The telcos are already doing that with us. If you need a SIM card, they capture your facial biometrics, which are matched against our database in real time to confirm that you are who you claim to be. We’re using biometric validation to tighten security around identity confirmation,” she added.
New Law Makes NIN Mandatory for Essential Services
The directive comes just weeks after President Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law on June 26, repealing the 2007 legislation that had governed the country’s identity management system for nearly two decades.
The new law reinforces the “One Person, One Identity” policy by making the National Identification Number the country’s foundational identity credential for accessing a wide range of government and essential private sector services.
Under the legislation, the NIN is now a compulsory requirement for:
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- Opening or operating a bank account
Passport applications
- Voter registration
- Land transactions and property purchases
- Telecommunications services (SIM registration)
- Pension and insurance claims
- Tax payments
- Consumer credit and loan facilities
- Most government services
The law also designates NIMC as the Root Certification Authority for Nigeria’s National Public Key Infrastructure, placing the commission at the center of the country’s digital identity ecosystem.
Tougher Penalties for Identity Fraud
The NIMC Act 2026 significantly increases penalties for identity-related offences. Companies face fines of up to ₦20 million, while individuals convicted of impersonation, multiple registrations, or unauthorized access to identity records face a minimum of five years in imprisonment.
“One person. One identity. One number,” President Tinubu declared when signing the law, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to eliminating identity fraud and multiple registrations.
The legislation also introduces safeguards for personal data, aligning Nigeria’s identity management framework with the Nigerian Data Protection Act and requiring consent for data access and use.
Implementation and Next Steps
Coker-Odusote said the commission has been mandated to go down to the community level to enroll every single Nigerian. The NIMC has significantly expanded its enrollment capacity, now covering 497 Local Government Areas across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with an enrollment staff of 2,524.
The commission is also working to integrate the NIN into all aspects of government planning and services. Special provisions in the new law address enrollment for vulnerable persons—including those without permanent residences—and Nigerians living in the diaspora.
With the end-of-2026 deadline now set, the NIMC faces the monumental task of registering an estimated 60 to 110 million additional Nigerians in the coming months. The success of the initiative will ultimately be measured by effective implementation and the tangible benefits delivered to citizens, as Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Sen. Abubakar Bagudu noted when welcoming the new legislation.
“The NIN should serve as Nigeria’s single, universally accepted identity standard, supporting efficient service delivery and good governance,” Bagudu said.
