NIMC: 10 million new NINs have been issued in 2025 as total enrollment hits 124 million
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued 10 million new National Identification Numbers (NINs) from January to October 2025. This increase brings Nigeria’s total enrollment to 124 million NINs. The new numbers reflect one of the fastest year-on-year increases that the commission has recorded in the past decade.
Alvan Ikoku, the Deputy Director and Head of Strategy at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), provided the latest update during a session with the 2025 DPI/DPG Journalism Fellowship fellows in Abuja. He noted that enrollment has experienced “steady, aggressive growth,” increasing from 114 million in 2024 to the current total of 124 million.
A gender breakdown reveals that men still hold a slight majority, with 69.7 million NINs issued to them, while women have received 54.2 million. Ikoku stated that enrolment momentum remains strong nationwide, including among the diaspora.
Lagos leads the country with 13.1 million registered National Identification Number (NIN) holders, followed closely by Kano with 11.5 million. Other states with significant numbers include Kaduna with 7.3 million, Ogun with 5.12 million, and Oyo with 4.7 million.
At the lower end, states like Bayelsa have 803,874 NIN holders, Ebonyi has 1.03 million, and Ekiti has 1.16 million. Additionally, diaspora enrollment has reached 1.53 million, with men accounting for a larger share of this number.
Key numbers at a glance
- 1.53 million issued in diaspora
- 124 million total NINs issued
- 10 million new NINs in 2025
- 69.7 million issued to men
- 54.2 million issued to women
- 13.1 million issued in Lagos (highest)
- 803,874 issued in Bayelsa (lowest)
Push for a unified national database faces delays
Ikoku noted that Nigeria’s data harmonization project, aimed at consolidating various identity systems such as voter registration, BVN, passport data, SIM registration, and driver’s licenses into a cohesive National Identity Database, is advancing more slowly than expected, despite significant growth.
He, however, noted that poor interagency cooperation remains a significant obstacle. Some institutions’ internal laws, he explained, make integration difficult and require amendments before full harmonization can take place.
What comes next for NIMC
To improve identity management nationwide, NIMC plans to upgrade its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) capacity to 250 million records, redesign the NIMC 2.0 framework, and strengthen the foundation for a nationwide “Nigeria Stack.”
The commission also intends to expand mobile enrolment to hard-to-reach rural communities, IDP camps, and correctional centres, while pushing ahead with the rollout of the country’s General Multi-Purpose Card, a single card designed for payments, social services, travel, and more.
Ikoku emphasised that sustained funding, better infrastructure, and stronger public awareness will determine how quickly Nigeria can finally achieve a unified, reliable national identity system.
