The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has reported that the number of National Identification Numbers (NINs) issued has reached 101 million.
Recent data from NIMC reveals that in the past six months, the commission has added 5,935,362 NINs to its database. As of January 2023, the figure stood at 95,077,917.
According to NIMC, out of the total issued NINs, 57.3 million (56.76%) have been assigned to males, while 43.57 million (43.2%) have been assigned to females.
In terms of regional distribution, the data for June indicates that Lagos State recorded the highest cumulative enrollment figure, with over 11 million individuals having obtained their NINs. Among them, 4.99 million were females and six million were males.
Kano is next with 8.9 million NINs (3.8 women and 5.1 men); Kaduna has 6.2 million (2.8 million women and 3.46 men) while Ogun has 4.2 million (two million women and 2.2 million men).
Oyo has 3.91 million NINs. Others are Katsina (3.46 million) and Abuja (3.4 million). Among the top recipient states are Rivers with three million; Bauchi, 2.7 million and Delta (2.67 million).
According to NIMC, the last 10 states are Akwa Ibom with 1.71 million, Imo (1.7 million), Kogi (1.69 million), Enugu (1.62 million) and Yobe (1.57 million). Others are Taraba (1.45 million), Cross River (1.15 million), Ekiti (one million), Ebonyi (804,592) and Bayelsa state (635,277).
NIMC, which said regional figures indicated an almost equal distribution across the North and South, informed that in terms of diaspora registration, it has issued 447,414 identification numbers, where 186,034 women have NINs and 261, 280 NINs going to men.
The Director-General of the NIMC, Aliyu Aziz Abubakar, said to advance digital infrastructure and promote financial inclusion, a robust and secure e-identity system is important.
He spoke recently at an event, tagged: ‘CIO Club Africa Summit: Digital Economy and Nexus between e-Identity, Connectivity and Financial Inclusion’, in Lagos.
The DG, who was represented by Assistant General Manager, Database, NIMC, Femi Fabunmi, said the commission was working to provide the nation with a unique and secure national identity system.
He said: “As we continue to move forward it is very clear that the nexus between E-identity, or digital identity, connectivity and financial inclusion will be crucial to driving sustainable development in the digital age.
“Part of this nexus is the need for a reliable and secure e-identity system that will serve as the foundation for digital transactions and financial services. Nigeria’s efforts in this area are commendable with the National Identity Management Commission working to provide every Nigerian with a unique national identification number and a digital identity card. This will enable citizens to access a range of services including financial services securely and conveniently.”
According to him, the importance of connectivity in this digital age cannot be overemphasized.
He added, “The digital economy relies on high-speed internet assets and reliable connectivity to function effectively.
“Nigeria has made significant progress in expanding broadband assets with initiatives such as the National Broadband Plan and the licensing of new broadband providers. However, more need to be done to ensure that all Nigerians have access to affordable and reliable connectivity particularly those in rural areas.”
