Over 97 million Nigerians—almost half of the country’s population—have now been captured on the National Identity Data Base…
Over 97 million Nigerians—almost half of the country’s population—have now been captured on the National Identity Data Base (NIDB), according to the latest figures from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) published on its Enrolment Dashboard.
The NIDB was established in 2007 to integrate all identity documents into the National Identification Number (NIN), the eleven-digit number that identifies all citizens and legal residents in Nigeria.
Per NIMC, enrolment figures as of March 24, 2023, stood at over 97.49 million unique records. The highest cumulative enrolment figure of over 10.7 million was recorded in Lagos State, while regional figures indicated an almost equal distribution across the North and South. By gender distribution, 55,229,381—representing 56.6% of the total enrolment figures—are male, while 42,260,974—43.4%—are female.
NIN enrolment by states
According to the latest NIMC numbers, the top 10 states for NIN enrolment include Lagos with a total of 10,724,072, followed by Kano (8,506,448), Kaduna (5,914,226) and Ogun (4,094,559). Others are Oyo (3,818,316), FCT Abuja (3,353,359), Katsina (3,333,337), Rivers (2,931,643), Bauchi (2,636,414), and Delta (2,601,782).
The ten bottom states in NIN enrolment include Akwa-Ibom (1,663,890), Imo State (1,637,750), Enugu (1,565,281), Yobe (1,488,460) and Taraba (1,426,906). The rest are Cross-River (1,116,213), Ekiti (994,219), Ebonyi (779,899), Bayelsa (617,398), and Diaspora (387,089).
The bumpy road to a digital national database
For one, the Jonathan presidency and the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari both instituted policies to encourage and enforce the continued enrolment of NIN as part of efforts to establish a digital national database.
Sections 27 and 29 of the NIMC Act 2007 [pdf] provide for the mandatory use of NIN for transactions, including the application and issuance of a passport, the opening of personal bank accounts, the purchase of insurance policies, voter registration, and obtaining credit, among others. Using certain social infrastructure without the number attracts a fine, imprisonment of up to 14 years or both.