The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC has appealed for robust synergy with the media for the enhancement of national identity management.
The director-general/chief executive officer of the commission, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote made the call on Thursday at a two-day workshop with online newspaper publishers in Abuja.
Coker-Odusote, who was represented at the roundtable by the director of ICT/Identity Data Base, Engr. Lanre Yusuf, disclosed that under her leadership, NIMC has successfully scaled Nigeria’s National Identification Number, NIN, enrolment to a record-breaking 115 million within one year.
She also disclosed the clearance of two years’ backlog of payments owed to Front-End Partners, FEPs, a feat achieved in her first year as the substantive head of the commission.
Highlighting the commission’s milestone achievements, Coker-Odusote described the year as pivotal for advancing Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
She attributed the success to strategic reforms and innovations aimed at fostering inclusivity, strengthening inter-agency collaboration, and expanding access to leadership.
The DG further informed that under her administration, NIMC deployed over 800 mobile enrolment devices and established territorial offices across the country to reduce waiting times for registration. These efforts propelled NIN enrolments to 115 million, backed by an expanded National Identity Database now capable of hosting 250 million identities.
“We have taken deliberate steps to ensure effective service delivery by modernizing infrastructure and clearing backlogs. These measures are part of a larger vision to create an inclusive and robust identity system that benefits every Nigerian,” she said.
According to her, NIMC has strengthened inter-agency collaboration by integrating the NIN with key agencies such as the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, technological advancements, including an upgraded NIMS Middleware and a forthcoming NIN authentication app, promise enhanced data security and citizen control over personal information in compliance with national data protection regulations.
Coker-Odusote also announced plans to improve verification services with a 99% uptime guarantee, further solidifying NIN’s role as a foundational tool for identity verification across government and private sectors.
Also among other feats by the commission so far, NIMC has leveraged the NIN to enhance financial inclusion, linking it with initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, and grants under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Additionally, over three million farmers and 800,000 MSMEs have benefitted from verified NINs, ensuring transparency and equitable distribution of resources, as well as integrating NIN with critical national initiatives, including SIM card registration, digital health programs, and youth development projects, reinforcing its commitment to inclusive governance and national security.
In his address, the chairman of the Association of Corporate Online Editors, ACOE, Mr. Martins Odiete commended NIMC for its proactive approach in engaging online publishers. He thanked the DG and management of the commission for fostering this collaboration and recognised the importance of leveraging online platforms in delivering public policies to their intended audiences.
“Online is the new engagement ground if public policies must reach the intended audience. NIMC, with the entire nation as its scope, has found a worthy ally in ACOE,” Odiete said, assuring the commission of ACOE’s unwavering commitment to the partnership, promising that the collaboration would yield significant benefits.
