NIMC hits 136 million enrolments as identity overhaul begins

The National Identity Management Commission has enrolled more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents into the country’s national identity database as the government begins implementing a new law aimed at transforming its digital identity infrastructure.

The commission disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday signed by Head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, following the agency’s stakeholder engagement with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning on the implementation of the new NIMC Act.

The legislation, which repeals the 2007 NIMC Act, places the National Identification Number at the centre of Nigeria’s identity ecosystem through a “one person, one identity” framework designed to create a single, trusted identity system for residents.

Under the new law, NIMC will serve as the root certificate authority for the country’s digital identity infrastructure, with expanded responsibilities around digital credentials, cybersecurity and data protection.

NIMC Director-General,