The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC has said the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 will strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem, improve data protection and enhance access to essential services.
The commission stated this on Monday in Abuja at a roundtable workshop organised in collaboration with the Association of Corporate Online Editors, ACOE, with stakeholders examining the implications of the new law and ongoing reforms in the national identity system.
The new Act, which received President Bola Tinubu’s assent on June 26, repealed the 2007 NIMC Act and provides a new legal framework for modern identity management in the country.
Under the new legislation, NIMC is positioned as the Root Certification Authority for Nigeria’s Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Public Infrastructure, while provisions on data protection and cybersecurity have also been strengthened.
The law is expected to support financial and social inclusion, government services and private-sector transactions through digital identity, while facilitating the enrolment of vulnerable and underserved Nigerians.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, Seun Adebayo said the project had supported the Federal Government since 2020 in establishing a robust, inclusive and trusted foundational identity system.
She said the previous legislation had become inadequate for the demands of modern digital identity management, necessitating its review.
According to her, the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project provided technical and financial support for the reform process, including diagnostic studies, stakeholder consultations, technical drafting, public hearings and international benchmarking.
She said consultations held in Abuja and Lagos in February 2024 enabled citizens, civil society organisations, financial institutions and the media to contribute to the process.
Adebayo said the new law would strengthen inclusion, clarify eligibility and provide greater safeguards for personal data, particularly in relation to the lawful use and disclosure of identity information.
She added that the project would continue supporting NIMC in expanding enrolment, integrating national identity with civil registration, modernising its systems and improving access for women, persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.
Meanwhile, NIMC said its National Identity Database had surpassed 136 million enrolments as of July 2026.
The development was outlined at the workshop as one of the major milestones recorded by the commission under the leadership of its Director-General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote.
Other reforms highlighted included the launch of NINAuth for secure digital identity verification, improved digital identity infrastructure, expanded diaspora services and nationwide enrolment supported by trained Nigerian youths.
NIMC also said the migration of telecommunications operators to NINAuth would strengthen identity verification and help reduce identity-related fraud.
The commission’s Director of Public Relations, Dr Kayode Adegoke, also highlighted improvements in staff welfare and operational capacity.
He said NIMC had implemented a 25 per cent salary increase across the board, provided laptops and iPads as working tools and made staff buses available to improve transportation.
The Chairman of ACOE commended NIMC’s leadership and described the association’s four-year partnership with the commission as productive and impactful.
He said the media had a responsibility to educate Nigerians about NIMC’s reforms and the significance of the country’s evolving digital identity infrastructure.
The NIMC Director-General was represented at the event by the Director, SERVICOM, Mrs Florence Oloruntade, while the Project Director of the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, Mrs Tito Ejenavi, was represented by Adebayo.
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