Nigeria's Digital Identity Push: Tinubu Sets 95% NIN Target for December

President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to push National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment to 95 per cent of Nigeria’s population by December 2026, setting a fresh deadline for one of the country’s most consequential digital infrastructure programmes.

Tinubu gave the directive on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2026 National Identity Day celebration organised by NIMC. He was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

According to the President, NIN enrolment has risen to approximately 142 million, up from more than 80 million people captured in the National Identity Database when his administration assumed office.

“Today, NIN enrolment stands at about 142 million… The next target is clear: we must work towards 95 percent coverage by December 2026.”

The new target comes as the Federal Government seeks to move Nigeria's national identity system beyond registration and towards a broader digital public infrastructure capable of supporting government services, economic transactions and national security.

Closing the identity gap

Tinubu said the next phase of the programme would focus on reaching citizens who remain outside the national identity system through ward-level enrolment, mobile registration and licensed enrolment networks.

NIMC Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the commission's enrolment had grown from fewer than 100 million to more than 142 million Nigerians and legal residents. She attributed much of the recent expansion to NIMC's ward-to-ward enrolment initiative, which has extended registration services across the country's 8,809 wards.

The programme has also involved National Youth Service Corps members working alongside NIMC's front-end partners to extend enrolment to communities where access to registration services had previously been limited.

From identity database to digital public infrastructure

For the Federal Government, however, the significance of the programme extends beyond the number of NINs issued. Tinubu said Nigeria needs an identity system that is continuously useful, secure and responsive, with the potential to underpin interconnected digital public services. He cited areas such as electronic health records and transport systems, as well as improved coordination and responsible information-sharing across government agencies.

That ambition effectively places national identity at the centre of Nigeria's emerging digital public infrastructure architecture, with the NIN potentially serving as a foundational identifier across multiple government and economic services.

Privacy and trust remain critical

The President also acknowledged that the expansion of Nigeria's digital identity infrastructure must be accompanied by safeguards for citizens. He stressed the need to protect the privacy, rights and dignity of citizens, warning that the development of a digital state must be matched by accountability.

For Nigeria's expanding digital ecosystem, that creates a central challenge: building an identity infrastructure that is simultaneously inclusive, secure, interoperable and trusted by citizens.

Private sector joins the identity ecosystem

The programme is also creating an expanding ecosystem of private-sector and institutional participants.

Tinubu disclosed that 173 private companies, 30 state governments and 14 public-sector institutions had been licensed to participate in NIN enrolment.

The President said the ecosystem was generating opportunities for enrolment officers, supervisors, data professionals, technology specialists and other workers involved in identity services.

NIMC has also introduced digital tools aimed at improving access to identity services. The commission said its self-service platform had processed nearly two million record updates, with some modifications that previously took weeks now being processed within 24 to 48 hours.

Identity and national security

Tinubu further linked a reliable national identity infrastructure to national security, saying stronger identity verification and responsible information-sharing could strengthen efforts against identity fraud, financial crimes and other security threats.

He pointed to collaboration involving the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as examples of how integrated government information systems could support security and enforcement functions.

With enrolment now at about 142 million, the December target represents another major step in Nigeria's attempt to build a comprehensive digital identity layer for its population.

The bigger test, however, will be whether the expanded identity infrastructure can translate into better public services, stronger digital trust, greater financial and economic inclusion, and secure access to an increasingly digital Nigerian state.