NIMC -ACOE rally media support as new law positions digital identity at heart of Nigeria’s service delivery By Raymond Enoch

Nigeria’s drive to build a trusted and inclusive digital identity ecosystem received fresh momentum on Monday as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) convened a high-level media roundtable in Abuja to examine the far-reaching implications of the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026.

The roundtable, themed “The New NIMC Act: Building Trust, Enabling Services, Transforming Nigeria,” brought NIMC officials, digital identity stakeholders and online media executives together to assess the reforms underpinning Nigeria’s identity architecture and the critical role of public communication in securing citizens’ confidence.

The engagement came against the backdrop of a major expansion of Nigeria’s National Identity Database, which has surpassed 136 million enrolments as of July 2026, according to figures presented at the event.

At the centre of discussions was the new NIMC Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 26, which repealed the 2007 legislation and establishes a more contemporary legal framework for managing Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital identity infrastructure.

The law is expected to strengthen NIMC’s institutional mandate while positioning the commission as the Root Certification Authority for Nigeria’s Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Public Infrastructure, with significant implications for secure digital transactions and service delivery.

The ACOE Chairman, in his goodwill message, commended NIMC’s leadership and described the association’s four-year partnership with the commission as productive and impactful.

He said the media could no longer treat identity management as a purely technical or bureaucratic issue, stressing that the success of Nigeria’s digital transformation would depend substantially on citizens understanding how identity systems affect their everyday lives.

He cited what he described as significant milestones under the leadership of NIMC Director-General, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, including the expansion of the National Identity Database, the deployment of NINAuth for secure digital identity verification, stronger digital infrastructure, improved diaspora services and expanded enrolment nationwide.

The migration of telecommunications operators to NINAuth, he said, would further strengthen identity verification and help tackle identity-related fraud.

He also described the 2026 Act as a turning point that could move Nigeria beyond identity registration towards a more integrated digital identity ecosystem capable of supporting financial inclusion, social protection, government services and private-sector transactions.

The legislation, he noted, also provides stronger safeguards around data protection and cybersecurity while creating pathways for vulnerable and underserved Nigerians to participate more fully in the national identity system.

Representing the NIMC Director-General at the roundtable, the Director, SERVICOM, Mrs. Florence Oloruntade, reinforced the commission’s commitment to improving institutional efficiency and service delivery.

The Director of Public Relations, Dr. Kayode Adegoke, also highlighted reforms aimed at improving staff welfare and operational capacity, including a 25 per cent salary increase across the board, provision of laptops and iPads as working tools and functional staff buses.

For the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, the passage of the new Act represents the culmination of years of technical work and stakeholder engagement aimed at replacing an increasingly outdated legal framework.

Represented by Mr. Seun Adebayo, Project Director of the Project Implementation Unit, Mrs. Tito Ejenavi, the project said it had supported the Federal Government since 2020 in its efforts to establish a robust, inclusive and trusted foundational identity system.

Adebayo explained that legal reform was a critical component of the initiative because the former NIMC Act, enacted in 2007, could no longer adequately address the realities of modern digital identity management.

The project provided technical and financial assistance for diagnostic studies, stakeholder consultations, technical drafting, public hearings and international benchmarking that contributed to the reform process.

She recalled that consultations held in Abuja and Lagos in February 2024 provided platforms for citizens, civil society organisations, financial institutions and the media to contribute to the proposed reforms.

With presidential assent on June 26, she said, Nigeria finally secured a stronger statutory foundation for its national identity architecture.

The new legislation, according to her, would strengthen inclusion, clarify eligibility requirements and provide enhanced guarantees around the protection, lawful use and disclosure of personal identity information.

She said the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project would continue supporting NIMC in expanding enrolment, integrating national identity with civil registration, modernising identity systems and improving access for women, persons with disabilities and other underserved populations.

But beyond legislation and technology, Adebayo stressed that public understanding would be crucial to the success of the reform.

She urged journalists and online publishers to move beyond simply reporting the existence of the new law and explain its practical implications to Nigerians — particularly its provisions on data protection, identity rights and access to essential services.

“The consultations held in Abuja and Lagos in February 2024 provided opportunities for citizens, civil society organisations, financial institutions and the media to contribute to the reform process.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NIMC Act 2026 on June 26 marked a significant milestone, as the law repealed the 2007 Act and provided a stronger legal foundation for Nigeria’s identity management system,” she said.

The roundtable therefore emerged not merely as a media engagement, but as a strategic conversation around trust, privacy, inclusion and the future of digital governance in Nigeria.

With more than 136 million enrolments already recorded, stakeholders agreed that the next phase must be about making Nigeria’s identity infrastructure work seamlessly for citizens — securely, inclusively and efficiently.

The challenge, as the engagement underscored, is no longer simply getting Nigerians into the identity database. It is ensuring that the identity they hold becomes a trusted gateway to services, opportunities, protection and participation in Nigeria’s increasingly digital economy.

Among the NIMC officials at the event were Adegoke, Ismail Sule, Elijah Adejoh and Munirat Lawal, while the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project was represented by Adebayo.