President Bola Tinubu has given the National Identity Management Commission a clear directive to enrol every Nigerian in the national identity database before the end of 2026.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. The move is part of the government’s plan to build a comprehensive national identity system to improve governance and service delivery.

Coker-Odusote explained that the commission is working with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development project to speed up enrolment across the country.

Private sector partners have been engaged to help capture citizens at the grassroots level. The National Identification Number will serve as the unique identifier, ensuring each person is registered only once.

The exercise is expected to help determine Nigeria’s actual population, which is currently estimated between 200 million and 250 million people. Accurate data will allow for better planning and more effective distribution of resources.

The NIMC boss emphasised that the president wants every Nigerian, regardless of location, to be captured in the database.

The commission is using biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial recognition, to prevent multiple registrations. This system flags duplicates and invalidates them, making it nearly impossible for one person to have more than one identity.

The new approach is a significant improvement over the previous system and aims to tighten security around identity confirmation.

This directive from President Tinubu reflects the government’s commitment to modernising identity management in Nigeria. With the 2026 deadline in place, NIMC is expected to intensify efforts to reach every community and individual. The successful implementation of this project is seen as a major step toward better governance and inclusive development.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper