NIN registration mandatory for all Nigerians, as Tinubu issues year-end deadline — NIMC DG
By Precious Mark
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote has declared that the National Identification Number (NIN) remains strictly mandatory for all citizens.
She revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the commission to register all Nigerians by the end of 2026.
Coker-Odusote made this disclosure on Sunday evening while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s flagship current affairs programme, Sunday Politics, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.
During the live broadcast, the NIMC boss shed light on the newly signed NIMC Act 2026, clarifying widespread concerns regarding data privacy, security breaches, and the legal implications for citizens who fail to enroll.
Responding to questions from the anchor about Nigeria’s historically fragmented and scattered database structures, Coker-Odusote explained that the newly enacted law introduces a harmonized identity ecosystem that will put an end to duplicate biometric databases across public and private institutions.
“The new Act is a harmonised identity for Nigeria, which means duplicate databases will be harmonised and integrated. The old law of 2007 was outdated. We now have Artificial Intelligence (AI) and we need to align with best global practices. The initial law did not cover data protection and had very limited safeguards against cybersecurity threats,” she explained.
Providing further details on the structural overhaul, Coker-Odusote highlighted the core regulatory pillars built into the updated legislation, noting that the NIMC Act 2026 introduces an interoperable digital identity framework.
This legal backing enables secure data sharing across government agencies and private institutions while supporting seamless digital authentication.
Furthermore, the new legal framework expands the statutory use of the NIN, establishing it as an absolute prerequisite to underpin access to international passports, banking services, voter registration, SIM registration, tax services, pensions, land transactions, insurance, and all other essential government services.
Addressing worries over inclusion, the NIMC Director-General stated that the 2026 framework expands registration parameters to cater effectively to infants and people living with disabilities.
She likened the NIN infrastructure to the United States’ Social Security Number, noting that the Nigerian system offers even broader integration potential.
When asked by Okinbaloye whether it constitutes a breach of the law not to possess a NIN, the NIMC boss gave a firm affirmation, warning that offenders risk prosecution.
“It is mandatory. Criminals related to identity-related crimes can be prosecuted, and we will work closely with the Ministry of Justice for these prosecutions,” she said.
“So far, we have successfully registered over 137 million Nigerians out of our estimated population. You cannot plan effectively without data. How can we plan as a nation without knowing the total number of people we have?” she queried.
Coker-Odusote noted that the presidency has mandated massive grassroots mobilization, driving registration teams directly into local communities to capture every citizen before the year-end deadline expires.
Dispelling fears regarding identity duplication and system vulnerabilities, the DG maintained that the biometric verification firewall makes it practically impossible for a single individual to hold multiple active identities within the database.
“Once it comes into the middleware, the system will instantly flag it and show that the individual already exists in the database. Public and private sectors will no longer validate your biometrics independently; they will need to check directly through NIMC. We have used advanced biometrics to significantly tighten security,” Coker-Odusote said.
Reacting to past reports of a system breach, the NIMC Chief dismissed the claims as false assumptions, clarifying that the commission’s data remains heavily fortified against external infiltration.
She blamed the misconceptions on fraudulent actors operating illegal enrollment centers.
“We are the only commission that uses the services we offer, and it is my duty to ensure there is no data breach. It has always been an assumption of a data breach. Rather, we have people who set up illegal shops that look like they are NIMC agents, but they are rogue operators. We have the official NIMC mobile app on the Google Play Store where your data is better protected, and you must give explicit consent to download your digital ID card or Tax Identification Number (TIN),” she stated.
To fast-track enrollment ahead of the December timeline, Coker-Odusote urged unregistered citizens to visit the commission’s portal to pre-enroll online and locate any of the 1,200 active centers nationwide.
On the security front, she added that while trackability can be complicated when kidnappers use the mobile phones of their victims rather than their own registered lines, security agencies are fully integrated into the NIMC database and are utilizing its infrastructure to combat crime.