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The Federal Government has directed the National Identity Management Commission to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the National Identification Number database by the end of 2026, as the number of registered citizens has surpassed 137 million.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, saying President Bola Tinubu had set a deadline for the completion of the nationwide conscription exercise.
According to her, the commission had enrolled 137,371,080 Nigerians in the NIN database as of Sunday evening, but acknowledged that millions of citizens were yet to be nabbed.
“As of tonight we have enrolled 137,371,080 Nigerians,” he said.
He noted that although Nigeria’s population is estimated to be between 200 and 250 million, the actual figure will become clearer after the completion of the nationwide registration exercise.
“We still have a shortage because Nigeria’s population is estimated at around 200 million, while some estimates put it at 230 million or even 250 million. When we finish enrolling everyone, we will know the actual figure,” he added.
Coker-Odusote said the President tasked the commission to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is excluded from the national identity database before the end of the year.
“The president has given us until the end of this year to make sure we capture every single Nigerian,” he said.
To speed up the operation, the NIMC chief said the commission has expanded enrollment beyond its offices in local government areas, bringing enrollment services directly to wards and communities nationwide.
He explained that the initiative was implemented through partnerships with private sector enrollment partners under the Identification for Development (ID4D) project supported by the World Bank.
According to her, the partners now conduct registrations at the community level to make the process easier and more accessible for Nigerians, especially those living in disadvantaged areas.
“We have collaborated through the World Bank’s ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem and are enrolling citizens on our behalf at the community level,” he said.
Coker-Odusote also said the recently amended NIMC law made it mandatory for every Nigerian to obtain a National Identification Number, describing the NIN as the country’s fundamental identity system for accessing public and private sector services.
He expressed confidence that the commission will achieve the federal government’s goal through the continued expansion of registration centers and community-based enrollment initiatives.
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