Nigeria has rolled out the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) national biometric identity card (ENBIC) as part of ongoing efforts to promote regional integration, improve identity management, and enhance security across West Africa.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, officially introduced the card on Friday at the Transcorp Hilton hotel in Abuja.
According to the minister, the new ID represents “a powerful new beginning” for secure movement and regional cooperation.
Adopted by ECOWAS in 2014 to replace the handwritten travel certificate, the ENBIC features an electronic chip containing biometric and biographical data, enabling secure verification, reducing fraud, and simplifying cross-border travel.
Senegal was the first to begin issuing the card in 2016. Since then, five other member states—Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone—have fully deployed it. Nigeria now becomes the seventh country to join.
Tunji-Ojo noted that the country’s delay in adopting the system did not reflect Nigeria’s true capabilities.
“It is unlike the Nigerian standard. That is very unusual, but the good news is that President Tinubu came in, insisted on delivery, and today the promise has become a reality,” he said.
He added that the biometric ID will serve as the backbone of a modernised security and identity system capable of transforming intelligence operations and border management.
“You cannot protect who you do not know. Identification is the bedrock of security,” he said, adding that the initiative would help address irregular migration.
The minister also revealed that the government is exploring the creation of a regional migration database in partnership with ECOWAS states—similar to the Schengen model—to further strengthen cross-border security.