The Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed the plan during a prime-time interview on ARISE News Channel in Abuja. She explained that the Commission is shifting enrollment from local government offices to ward and community-level outreach in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to Odusote, many Nigerians still lack a National Identification Number (NIN) not because of unwillingness but because of physical barriers that make access difficult. She described identity as more than an 11-digit number or a physical card, noting that it serves as a gateway to essential services such as banking, telecommunications, healthcare, and government support programmes.
“At the heart of what we do is the issuance of an 11-digit National Identification Number (NIN) for every citizen and legal resident,” she said, adding that the NIN is just one part of NIMC’s broader mandate.
The Commission operates on five key pillars: NIN issuance, development and protection of a secure national identity database, issuance of the General Multi-Purpose Card (GMPC), harmonisation of identity data across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the provision of authentication and verification services. Odusote stressed that effective verification is essential for seamless identity use across critical sectors such as banking, telecommunications, healthcare, and governance.
NIMC currently operates about 1,200 offices nationwide, including state offices, local government desks, and co-location centres with agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). However, Odusote acknowledged that physical infrastructure alone has not been sufficient to close the access gap.
“In some parts of the country, especially the North-East, travelling from one local government to another can take four to six hours,” she said. “It is simply unacceptable for any Nigerian to be excluded from modern life because our system has not reached their road.”
To tackle this challenge, the Commission is rolling out ward- and community-based enrollment under a presidential directive. The expansion is being supported through the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative, which allows vetted partners to operate within Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and scale enrollment rapidly.
Odusote emphasised that enrollment under the programme is completely free and warned Nigerians against paying for the service. “No one should pay to be enrolled. We do not want Nigerians spending money just to get an identity,” she said.
From February 16, NIMC will begin a six-week intensive community enrollment exercise targeting hard-to-reach and previously unreached populations. To ensure effective mobilisation, the Commission is collaborating with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to deploy sensitisation materials in multiple local languages.
In addition to the community enrollment drive, NIMC has introduced the NINAuth App, a digital authentication and verification platform that allows citizens and legal residents to securely manage how their NIN is used. The app enables real-time verification, reduces fraud, and gives users control over what information is shared, with whom, and for how long.
Recent legal reforms have also strengthened Nigeria’s digital identity framework, with updates to the NIMC Act incorporating provisions from the Cybersecurity Bill (2015) and the Data Protection Act (2023). The reforms aim to align the national identity system with international best practices.
Since its establishment, NIMC has conducted over 2.2 billion identity verifications, mainly within the private sector. The Commission said it is now focused on empowering individuals with reusable digital credentials to ease access to services.
As Nigeria intensifies its digital inclusion drive, NIMC’s community-based approach marks a significant shift in the country’s identity landscape, reflecting a broader push to ensure that every citizen is recognised and included in national development efforts.