FG Targets 100 Million Unregistered Nigerians In Nationwide Digital ID Push
Nigeria’s drive for inclusive governance and effective national planning is confronting a major challenge, with about 100 million citizens yet to be captured in the country’s digital identity system.
The Federal Government has now intensified efforts to close the gap through a strengthened partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday during a visit by NIMC Director-General, Dr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, who presented key provisions of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026.
Idris said more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents had been enrolled in the National Identity Database, but stressed that universal coverage remained crucial to effective governance, national planning, financial inclusion and digital transformation.
To reach underserved communities, NIMC has commenced ward-by-ward enrolment across Nigeria’s 8,809 political wards, targeting women, children, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, refugees, legal residents and Nigerians in the diaspora.
The Minister urged NIMC to deepen collaboration with the National Orientation Agency, leveraging its presence across the 774 local government areas to drive grassroots sensitisation and enrolment.
Coker-Odusote said the NIMC Act 2026 strengthens Nigeria’s identity management framework through provisions on data protection, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and digital trust.
The Commission has also integrated its identity system with more than 250 Ministries, Departments and Agencies as part of efforts to improve service delivery and strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.
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