Tinubu Issues Fresh NIN Order as Race Begins to Capture Every Nigerian Before Deadline

President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the national identity database before the end of 2026, setting the stage for an unprecedented nationwide registration drive.
The directive was disclosed by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
According to her, the commission has already registered 137,371,080 Nigerians, but the Federal Government is pushing for complete national coverage within the stipulated timeframe.
Coker-Odusote revealed that President Tinubu has instructed NIMC to take the enrollment exercise directly to communities across the country to ensure that no citizen is left out.
“We are now mandated by the President to go down to the community level and enroll every single Nigerian,” she stated.
She added that the President has given the commission until the end of the year to achieve the ambitious target of capturing all Nigerians in the national identity database.
To accelerate the exercise, NIMC has partnered with key organisations under the World Bank-backed Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative, aimed at expanding access to legal identity and strengthening national data systems.
The renewed push signals the Federal Government’s determination to achieve universal identity registration, a move expected to enhance planning, security, financial inclusion, and access to government services nationwide.