President Bola Tinubu has acknowledged the significant accomplishments of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in enrolling Nigerians into the national identity database system.
During his address at the 7th National Identity Day Celebration in Abuja, the President, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, announced that Nigeria has achieved a key milestone, with over 126 million citizens now registered in the NIMC database.
President Tinubu characterized the accomplishment as representing “126 million narratives of visibility, empowerment, and inclusion.”
He emphasized that digital identity has transcended its traditional role as a bureaucratic function and is now a fundamental component of citizenship, security, and opportunity in the 21st century.
“Identity is power, protection, and participation. Every individual counted is a step closer to a stronger nation,” he noted.
In addressing this year’s theme, “Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): Backbone to Digital Public Infrastructure,” the President emphasized that PKI is increasingly being integrated into various sectors, including governance, banking, healthcare, education, and national security systems.
“PKI, a system that provides secure digital trust, is now being integrated across governance, banking, healthcare, education and national security systems,” he declared.
Government Commitment to Digital Identity
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who supervises the Commission, said PKI would make digital government services verifiable, auditable, and internationally credible.
He added that government reforms in immigration, passport issuance, and border management are being aligned with NIMC’s identity infrastructure to strengthen national security and global trust in Nigerian credentials.
“Nigeria must treat identity infrastructure as strategic national infrastructure aligning with global standards for interoperability and trust,” the Minister stated.
Commendations for NIMC
Both the President and the Minister, alongside other speakers, commended NIMC’s Director-General, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for what they described as a “historic turnaround” of the agency in just over a year.
Coker-Odusote, in her remarks, highlighted key progress, including:
• Clearing over 2.5 million backlog records.
• Processing more than 500,000 record updates via mobile/web self-service platforms.
• Deploying over 800 mobile enrolment devices nationwide.
• Expanding the national database to handle 250 million records, up from 100 million.
• Introducing over 200 diaspora centres and ward-level enrolment through NYSC members.
She announced that more than 449,000 students have accessed education loans worth N86.35 billion through the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) using their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
The DG also stressed that the NIN has now been integrated with banking, SIM registration, agriculture subsidies, pensions, humanitarian aid, and social investment schemes.
Inclusion, Protection, and Empowerment
Coker-Odusote broke down NIMC’s achievements into three pillars: inclusion, protection, and empowerment.
On inclusion, she revealed that over 75% of inmates in correctional facilities are now enrolled; diaspora enrolment has improved by 52%; and integration with the National Population Commission is boosting birth registration.
She added that NIMC has partnered with the Nigeria Police Cybercrime Centre to tackle identity fraud, while new security standards and PKI integration are safeguarding citizens’ data.
According to her, farmers, students, and vulnerable groups are already benefiting from subsidies, loans, and welfare programmes tied to verified digital identity.
She assured that the Commission would continue to improve its services in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.