Nigeria intensifies digital identity drive

The Nigeria has intensified efforts to achieve universal digital identity enrolment through a strengthened partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the Nigeria — National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), as part of President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the initiative in Abuja on July 8, 2026, while receiving NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote and her team. The government aims to register an estimated 100 million more Nigerians, building on the 136 million already enrolled. The newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 modernises Nigeria's identity management framework with provisions on data protection, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, and digital trust. NIMC has commenced a ward-by-ward enrolment campaign across Nigeria's 8,809 political wards, targeting women, children, persons with disabilities, rural dwellers, refugees, legal residents, and Nigerians in the diaspora. The commission has integrated its platform with over 250 ministries, departments, and agencies, and is working with security agencies to combat identity fraud. The Nigeria — National Orientation Agency, led by Lanre Issa-Onilu, will support grassroots sensitisation. The government plans to use all communication platforms under the Ministry, including the Nigeria — News Agency of Nigeria, for public awareness campaigns.