The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mrs Abisoye Coker-Odusote, says the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 has significantly strengthened Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
Odusote-Coker said this act had been done by enhancing data security and empowering the commission to combat identity-related crimes.
She said this during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) as part of the government’s efforts to sensitize public institutions on the provisions and benefits of the new Act.
She explained that the repealed NIMC Act lacked data protection powers, leading to the 2023 Data Protection Act and the creation of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
“It may interest you to know that the new Data Protection Act that Mr. President assented to was sorted through support with NIMC in 2021, leading to the establishment of the Data Protection Commission,” she said.
According to her, the new NIMC Act empowers the commission, in collaboration with security agencies, to arrest and prosecute identity thieves.
“In line with this new mandate, we have recently revamped our internal enforcement structure through the Inspectorate, Compliance, and Enforcement (ICE) Unit to ensure effective implementation of the Act.”
Odusote-Coker also disclosed that the commission had activated a ward enrollment program aimed at expanding NIN registration to all wards across the country.
“It may interest you to know that the president has given us marching orders last year to go and kickstart the ward enrollment exercise, which we embarked upon on Feb. 16,” she said.
She explained that the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and was designed to ensure inclusive identity coverage for all Nigerians.
“We are rotating round all the 8009 wards, and this is why our partnership with NOA who is also represented at the ward level is very crucial in helping us disseminate information,” she said.
Responding, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended the NIMC director-general for her leadership and the successful passage of the new legislation.
“We’ve all seen your enthusiasm to transform identity management in this country since you came on-board as the DG of NIMC, and we have also seen that on the part of the NIMC team,” he said.
Idris stressed the need for sustained public enlightenment on the provisions of the Act, particularly at the grassroots, and called for stronger inter-agency collaboration to maximise its benefits.
The minister also urged the commission to take advantage of the agencies under his ministry, as they offer the wide reach to Nigerians and would aid NIMC’s sensitization objectives.
“We have all the public information platforms in this country under this ministry, including the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and I want to assure you that these platforms will be available to support your sensitization objectives,” he said.
The minister noted that transparency in public service delivery depended largely on effective dissemination of information through credible communication channels.
Present as part of the minister’s team was the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who revealed existing partnerships between the commission and his agency in the past.
Lanre urged the commission not to hesitate to come to the agency for assistance towards fulfilling NIMC’s mandate by the Nigerian president of enrolling every Nigerian.
“I hope you can come forward to see how we can achieve that as we are present in those areas you want to go and do your sensitization and enlightenment,” he said.
Issa-Onilu noted that there were still numerous people in the rural areas who barely had an idea as to what the new NIMC Act meant for their livelihood.
“Oftentimes, they do not even need the services that require the NIN,” he added.
