The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that over 123 million Nigerians have been successfully enrolled in the National Identification Database, marking a major step toward the country’s digital inclusion and security agenda.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2025 National Day of Identity. The event was themed “Public Key Infrastructure: Backbone to Digital Public Infrastructure.”
Coker-Odusote highlighted that Nigeria remains the first African nation to officially adopt an Identity Day, a milestone achieved in 2019 to underscore the importance of legal identity for all citizens. She described the progress as aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for everyone by 2030.
“At the heart of our progress is the integration of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which ensures the security, privacy, and accessibility of personal data while laying the foundation for a digital economy that benefits all Nigerians,” she said.
The DG explained that NIMC’s work directly supports the principles of inclusion, protection, and empowerment by addressing the legal identity gap, safeguarding citizens’ data, and enabling access to essential services.
According to her, partnerships across sectors have been key to this progress. Collaborations with the Ministry of Health have linked the National Identification Number (NIN) with birth registration, while partnerships with the Nigerian Immigration Service improved diaspora enrolment by 52 percent.
The agency also reported enrolling over 75 percent of inmates through collaboration with the Nigeria Correctional Service.
Coker-Odusote further noted that NIMC has integrated the NIN with the National Social Register, managed by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, to improve the targeting of welfare programmes.
She added that more than 50 organisations, including INEC, NYSC, NASSCO, and the National Population Commission, now serve as enrolment partners across the country.
Despite these achievements, she acknowledged challenges, including a gender imbalance in registrations and the fact that only 60 percent of children under five are registered at birth. She stressed that NIMC is working to close these gaps through public awareness campaigns and expanded infrastructure.
On data protection, the DG dismissed rumours of breaches, insisting that the national database remains secure. She condemned the illicit sale of NINs and warned against misinformation that undermines public confidence.
To strengthen safeguards, she revealed that NIMC has partnered with the Nigeria Police Force–National Cybercrime Centre to combat identity theft and cybercrime.
“Our database remains secure, and there has been no breach of data,” she reassured. “With strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology, NIMC is firmly on the path to global acclaim in identity management.”