The Nationwide Id Administration Fee (NIMC) has introduced that it’ll start nationwide ward-level enrollment for the Nationwide Identification Quantity (NIN) on February 16, 2026.
The Fee disclosed this in a press release signed by its Head of Communications, Kayode Adegoke, which was launched on Wednesday.
In response to NIMC, the transfer follows a presidential directive mandating it to take NIN registration to the grassroots throughout the nation.
The train is geared toward guaranteeing the great registration of each Nigerian citizen and authorized resident, together with kids and adults, into the Nationwide Id Database.
What NIMC is saying
NIMC mentioned the ward-level enrollment shall be carried out freed from cost, including that the initiative aligns with the Federal Authorities’s drive to deepen id inclusion, promote inclusive governance, and develop entry to public providers.
- “The ward-level enrolment initiative represents a strategic step in the direction of deepening id inclusion, decentralizing providers, and bringing registration to the ward degree (communities), thereby bettering accessibility, lowering journey burden, and selling nationwide participation.
- “NIMC encourages all Nigerians and authorized residents who’re but to enroll to make the most of this chance and take part absolutely within the train,” the assertion learn partially.
NIMC disclosed that it has commenced consultations and sensitization campaigns on the nationwide, state and native authorities ranges to make sure a clean rollout.
It mentioned state governments, native authorities chairpersons, conventional rulers, group leaders, market associations and faith-based organisations are being engaged to assist consciousness and mobilization efforts.
The Fee known as on members of the general public to take part actively within the ward-to-ward train and be sure that kids, mother and father and different members of the family who’re but to enroll are registered inside their communities.
Backstory
Nigeria, by means of the World Bank’s Digital Id for Nationwide Growth (ID4D) challenge, launched in 2020, is presently striving to register all its residents within the NIN database.
- In 2024, the nation missed the deadline set by the World Bank to seize a minimum of 148 million Nigerians by June 30. This led to the extension and restructuring of the challenge by the World Bank
- In response to the Bank, the extension was obligatory to ensure the whole disbursement of the $430 million pledged for the challenge by the financiers.
- The challenge is being co-financed by the French Growth Company (AFD), and the European Funding Bank (EIB).
With the restructuring of the challenge, the Bank mentioned the closure has now been prolonged by two years to December 31, 2026.
What you need to know
Whereas the nation’s inhabitants is estimated at 230 million, the newest enrollment determine launched by NIMC exhibits that 123.9 million Nigerians had been issued NIN as of October 2025.
On the finish of 2024, the enrolment determine stood at 114 million. This signifies that 9.9 million new NINs have been issued within the first 10 months of 2025.
Going by the goal of the ID4D challenge, NIMC is anticipated to have issued NIN to 180 million Nigerians by the top of 2026.