The Federal Government has directed the National Identity Management Commission to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the National Identification Number database before the end of 2026, as the number of registered citizens surpassed 137 million.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, saying President Bola Tinubu had set a deadline for the completion of the nationwide enrolment exercise.
According to her, the commission had enrolled 137,371,080 Nigerians into the NIN database as of Sunday evening but acknowledged that millions of citizens were yet to be captured.
“As of this evening, we have enrolled 137,371,080 Nigerians,” she said.
She noted that although Nigeria’s population is estimated at between 200 million and 250 million, the actual figure would become clearer after the completion of the nationwide registration exercise.
“We still have a shortage because Nigeria’s population is estimated at about 200 million, while some estimates put it at 230 million or even 250 million. When we finish enrolling everyone, we’ll know the actual figure,” she added.
Coker-Odusote said the President had instructed the commission to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is left out of the national identity database before the end of the year.
“The President has given us until the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian,” she said.
To accelerate the exercise, the NIMC boss said the commission had expanded enrolment beyond its offices in local government areas by taking registration services directly to wards and communities nationwide.
She explained that the initiative was being implemented through partnerships with private-sector enrolment partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project.
According to her, the partners now conduct registrations at the community level to make the process easier and more accessible for Nigerians, particularly those in underserved areas.
“We have partnered through the World Bank ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem, and they are enrolling citizens on our behalf at the community level,” she said.
Coker-Odusote also said the recently amended NIMC Act had made it compulsory for every Nigerian to obtain a National Identification Number, describing the NIN as the country’s foundational identity system for accessing public and private sector services.
She expressed confidence that the commission would achieve the Federal Government’s target through the ongoing expansion of registration centres and community-based enrolment initiatives.
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
