Nigeria’s ID authority takes on new duties to secure growing digital ecosystem

Nigeria has taken steps to consolidate its digital identity system under the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as it operationalizes its legal framework. NIMC is taking responsibility for the country’s public key infrastructure (PKI) from the National Information Technology Development Agency, even as more digital services become available to Nigerians through identity verification using biometric National Identity Numbers (NINs).

The change brings encryption and digital signatures under the authority of the country’s digital identity authority. The government is hoping for savings from reduced duplication of functions.

Operationalizing the new NIMC Act

A Facebook post from Senator Godswill Akpabio says the NIMC Act, 2026, signed into law in June, expands the legal recognition of NINs across government interactions for taxation, banking, pensions, healthcare, voting and business registration. The Act also places NIMC under the purview of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act, which means data can only be accessed by businesses with a legal mandate or consent. Fines for illegal data access are 100 times higher, and possible jail penalties have been introduced.

“By revitalizing NIMC, he has transformed the Commission into a formidable institution at the forefront of Nigeria’s digital economy,” Nigeria Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume says in a Facebook post.

NIMC officially took the role of National Root Certification Authority (RCA) in a ceremony at NITDA headquarters last week, attended by NIMC Director-General and CEO Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Leadership reports.

The national PKI handover is mandated by the NIMC Act, which Coker-Odusote called “a major milestone in Nigeria’s identity management journey.”

While the NIN was always intended to function independently of a physical card, both Coker-Odusote and Akpabio emphasized the shift towards digital credentials.

The agencies discussed opportunities for collaboration, and NITDA has committed technical and strategic support for NIMC’s 2026 registration campaign.

The campaign is intended to boost NIN issuance from 136 million as of weeks ago to 180 million by the end of the year.

Shifting PKI responsibilities to NIMC also gives NITDA for resources to docus on its planned regulatory sandbox for digital innovation. NITDA inaugurated a technical working group to build a sandbox framework to support Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.

Travel IDs expand

One example of the kind of application for biometric identity verification that Nigeria’s government is trying to enable is V-Pass, a new system for domestic air travel from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

FAAN collaborated with Verxid Technologies on the development of the system, which allows air travelers to enroll their NIN and face biometrics to create a credential they can use for digital security checks and boarding, The Guardian Nigeria reports.

Foreigners can use V-Pass as well, enrolling with biometrics capture and an OCR scan of their passport.

Nigeria completed integration with the ICAO public key directory (PKD) by importing all Country Signing Certificate Authorities, and officially joined the directory last week.

Identity management for national security

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo argues in a separate article in The Guardian that the NIMC Act also “means that our security architecture can better be enhanced.”

He notes that in the past, Nigerian passports were handled independently by the Nigeria Immigration Service, whereas the integration of identity services under NIMC provides stronger identity management.

Among the results: seven known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) were arrested while attempting to come back through Katsina. This was possible because NIMC’s identity platform now communicates directly with Immigration and Interpol,” Tunji-Ojo says.

Identity management, he argues, is central to Nigeria’s national security.

NIMC DG and CEO Coker-Odusote noted the country’s improved identity management makes it easier for authorities to link individuals to digital transactions related to criminal activities.

Universal health coverage through digital ID

The Nigerian government’s ambitions for universal health coverage by 2030 also hinge on the country’s national digital ID. Vanguard reports Coker-Odusote attended a meeting last week with Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate on integrating the NIN with Nigeria’s health sector.

Pate is hoping for a major increase in enrollment to the National Health Insurance program, and beneficiary verification to it, through the NIN integration. Digital identity can also help improve patient identification, continuity of care and medical records handling, he said.

He also emphasized the importance of inclusion is the national ID system as the healthcare system adopts it.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  cryptography  |  cybersecurity  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)  |  National Identity Number (NIN)  |  PKI