Tinubu Directs NIMC To Achieve 95% NIN Coverage By December 2026

President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to work towards achieving 95 per cent National Identification Number (NIN) coverage by December 2026.

Tinubu gave the directive on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 National Identity Day celebration organised by NIMC.

The President, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, commended NIMC for its progress, noting that NIN enrolment had risen to about 142 million from over 80 million Nigerians captured in the National Identity Database when he assumed office.

The event, themed “Nigeria’s Digital Public Ecosystem: Powering Africa’s Digital Economy,” was attended by senior government officials, including the representative of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.

Tinubu said the 95 per cent target should be achieved through expanded ward-level enrolment, mobile registration initiatives and continued deployment of licensed enrolment networks.

He said the government’s objective extends beyond increasing NIN coverage to building an identity system that is “continuously useful, secure and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.”

“We are laying the foundations for a future of integrated digital services, including e-health records, e-transport systems and a more harmonised national data architecture,” he said.

The President stressed the need to protect citizens’ rights, privacy and dignity, adding that digital transformation must be accompanied by accountability, inclusion, security and trust.

He also urged Nigerians who had not obtained their NIN to enrol, describing the identification number as their connection to a modern Nigerian state.

Tinubu said national identity remained central to the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that identity transformation was contributing to several government priorities.

According to him, the NIMC ecosystem has also created employment opportunities through more than 173 private companies, 30 state governments and 14 public-sector institutions approved as licensed enrolment agents.

On national security, Tinubu said a secure identity system was essential to combating identity fraud, financial crimes and other security threats.

He cited collaboration between NIMC and institutions including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as an example of how government systems could work together.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also commended NIMC Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for her leadership and urged the commission to make identity services wider, easier and more accessible, including to Nigerians in the diaspora.

Coker-Odusote said NIN enrolments had grown from less than 100 million to over 142 million Nigerians and legal residents, attributing the increase largely to the ward-to-ward enrolment project.

She said the initiative deployed NIMC officers across the federation and engaged National Youth Service Corps members as adult enrolment officers alongside front-end partners.

The NIMC boss also disclosed that the commission’s Self-Service Modification Platform had processed nearly two million record updates, reducing the time required for some changes from weeks to between 24 and 48 hours.