The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling. President Bola Tinubu has given the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) a deadline to enrol every Nigerian in the national identity database before the end of this year. The commission's Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, made this known on Channels Television's Sunday Politics. The NIMC boss explained that the commission is working with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project to accelerate nationwide enrolment. According to her, the project is aimed at establishing a comprehensive national identity system capable of supporting effective governance, planning, and service delivery. The National Identification Number (NIN) remains a unique identifier, ensuring that every individual is registered only once. Coker-Odusote said that the NIMC's biometric verification system prevents individuals from obtaining multiple identities by registering in different locations or under different names. She added that the commission's biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial recognition, makes it virtually impossible for one person to maintain multiple identities. The remarks come weeks after Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law on June 26, repealing the 2007 legislation.
Nigeria's actual population remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 million to 250 million. Coker-Odusote said that the commission aims to capture the actual numbers of Nigerians, adding that the identity is the foundation for effective governance and service delivery. How can you plan if you don't know the total number of persons that you have? she asked.
The commission's biometric verification system has been improved to automatically identify and invalidate multiple registrations. Coker-Odusote said that the new system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database.
The new law reinforces the "One Person, One Identity" policy by making the NIN the country's foundational identity credential for accessing government and essential private services, including banking, passport applications, tax administration, pensions, land transactions, and consumer credit. It also introduces stiffer penalties for identity theft, multiple registrations, and unauthorized access to personal identity data, while strengthening data privacy protections and granting NIMC wider powers to investigate identity-related offences.
Key Facts
• Deadline: every Nigerian must be enrolled in the national identity database before the end of 2026 • Population: Nigeria's actual population remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 million to 250 million • Unique identifier: the National Identification Number (NIN) remains a unique identifier, ensuring that every individual is registered only once • Biometric verification: the commission's biometric verification system includes fingerprints and facial recognition • Law: the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 was signed into law on June 26, repealing the 2007 legislation • Penalties: stiffer penalties for identity theft, multiple registrations, and unauthorized access to personal identity data
A more detailed and accurate understanding of Nigeria's population is essential for effective governance and service delivery, Abisoye Coker-Odusote said. With the actual numbers still uncertain, the commission aims to capture every single Nigerian and create a comprehensive national identity database.
NIMC's Efforts to Improve Identity Verification
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been working to improve its identity verification system. The commission's biometric verification system includes fingerprints and facial recognition, which makes it virtually impossible for one person to maintain multiple identities.
The new system has been designed to automatically identify and invalidate multiple registrations. Coker-Odusote said that the previous system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database.
The NIMC's Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, emphasized the importance of having accurate and reliable data to plan for the needs of Nigerians. With the actual population still uncertain, Coker-Odusote said that the commission aims to capture every single Nigerian and create a comprehensive national identity database.