By Nick Ibe, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, 2026 into law, repealing the 2007 legislation.

The new legal framework is to create a secure, interoperable and inclusive digital identity ecosystem for Nigeria.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, is convinced that Nigeria’s strengthened national identity management system is currently yielding significant security dividends.

According to him, integration of government identity databases recently enabled security agencies to identify and apprehend suspected terrorism kingpins attempting to gain entry into the country.

On his part, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the presidential assent was a major milestone that would strengthen identity management and provide the foundation for a more secure Nigeria.

Director General of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, also applauded President Tinubu for signing into law the NIMC Act 2026, saying the event marked a defining moment in the history of identity management in Nigeria.

The landmark legislation significantly expands the powers of the National Identity Management Commission by designating it as the Root Certification Authority for Nigeria’s National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), effectively placing the Commission at the centre of the country’s digital identity, authentication and electronic trust architecture.

The new law also reinforces the National Identification Number (NIN) as Nigeria’s foundational identity credential under the principle of ‘One Person, One Identity’, while empowering NIMC to facilitate secure and seamless data exchange among government institutions, financial organisations and private-sector entities.

The reforms are expected to strengthen digital governance, improve public service delivery, enhance cybersecurity and support the federal government’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy through technology-driven growth.

Speaking to journalists yesterday after the President signed the repealed and re-enacted National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Bill into law at the State House, Abuja, Akpabio said “Minister of Interior has already started synchronising the NIMC together with other equipment that he has in his office. And they’re yielding results.

“Just last week, we were able to apprehend terrorist chiefs who were coming in from Saudi Arabia, in Katsina, of all places. When they landed, they just put their names on the computer; it brought out that these are criminals, and they arrested them.”

The new legislation, he explained, would overhaul Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem, reinforcing national security, enhancing border control, and improving economic planning through a more robust and integrated identity management framework.

He revealed that the integration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database with the Ministry of Interior’s digital platforms marks a significant departure from an outdated legal framework that had remained largely unchanged for 19 years despite rapid advances in digital technology.

His words, “With this Act of Parliament today, there will be a lot of improvement. This has brought Nigeria at par with the global community. I believe strongly that this will improve digital awareness in Nigeria, will help in the economy, will help in infrastructural planning, will help in immigration and migration. At the end, I believe that Nigeria will be better for it. Digital identity will be better managed henceforth.”

Akpabio punctured claims that the National Assembly fast-tracked the legislation, saying federal lawmakers devoted nearly two years to extensive stakeholder consultations, public hearings, and a thorough review of international best practices before approving the bill.

“We had to go around to do public hearings, to send people outside Nigeria to find out what obtains in other climes. It wasn’t something we had to rush because we always want to ensure that any legislation we do outlives us.”

The Senate President added that the legislation forms part of the Tinubu administration’s wider security reforms, including the proposed introduction of state policing.

“We’ve done the same thing for 66 years, but the result is continuous insecurity in the country. So it’s important that… we all work together for the benefit of all Nigerians.”

On his part, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, told reporters that the presidential assent was a major milestone that would strengthen identity management and provide the foundation for a more secure Nigeria.

He said the amended Act empowers NIMC to harmonise identity records, synchronise government databases and improve interoperability among public institutions.

“It’s about identity management, it’s about harmonising identity, synchronizing database, and of course being able to ensure interoperability and ability to have secure handshake,” Tunji-Ojo said.

While refusing to disclose operational details of the country’s security systems, the Minister stressed the strategic importance of the legislation.

His words, “I won’t be able to go into the details because you’re talking about operational details of the security architecture… But you can be sure that this is going to be the foundation of our security architecture.”

Tunji-Ojo also praised President Tinubu for assembling what he described as a competent team to drive reforms.

“The President is… a talent hunter. This is very evident in what NIMC has been able to do under the leadership of the DG and the supervising ministry.”

Also speaking, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, Coker-Odusote, described the new law as a landmark reform that bridges a 19-year gap in Nigeria’s identity management framework.

According to her, “The presidential assent to the National Identity Management Commission Bill, which was repealed and re-enacted, is a landmark milestone achievement for this administration and Nigeria. What this Bill will do is bridge that 19-year gap in line with technology best practices and digital transformation reforms globally.”

She stressed that the amended Act strengthens interoperability across government platforms, enhances citizen authentication and verification, and reinforces digital trust across ministries, departments and agencies.

“What we have been able to achieve with this Act also is to ensure that digital trust is cemented in our administration and administrative efforts in driving digital transformation across Nigeria.”

Coker-Odusote appreciated President Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly for supporting the legislation, describing identity management as one of the administration’s flagship reforms.

“We’re very happy that NIMC and identity is one of the key reforms of this administration,” she further said.

In a statement yesterday, NIMC described the legislation as the most significant overhaul of Nigeria’s identity management framework since the Commission was established nearly two decades ago.

According to the Commission, the rapid expansion of digital services, e-governance, electronic commerce, data protection requirements and evolving cyber threats made it imperative to replace the old law with a more robust and future-oriented legal framework aligned with international best practices.

Under the new Act, NIMC will be responsible for establishing and maintaining Nigeria’s National Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Public Infrastructure, providing trusted authentication systems, digital signatures, digital certificates, encryption services and identity verification frameworks designed to improve confidence in digital transactions and online services.

The legislation also introduces stronger safeguards for personal data and privacy in alignment with the Nigeria Data Protection Act and global standards, while prescribing stringent penalties for multiple registrations, identity theft, impersonation and other identity-related offences.

In a major inclusion initiative, the law introduces an innovative identifier system for vulnerable persons and mandates special measures to facilitate the enrolment of underserved populations, including individuals without permanent residences.

The Act further recognises both physical and digital identity credentials, all securely linked to an individual’s National Identification Number, thereby expanding opportunities for digital transactions and service delivery.

NIMC said the implementation of the new framework would enable faster and more secure identity verification, greater financial and digital inclusion, improved interoperability across government and private-sector platforms, and enhanced ease of doing business.