President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that there are more than 85 million persons enrolled on the National Identification Number database.
The President disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, a year after stating that 54 million Nigerians have now enrolled.
The President stated, “We have now enrolled more than 85 million persons into the NIN database. The work continues, to leave behind a credible and robust foundation of digital identity for the security and prosperity of Nigeria.”
Nigeria had for years struggled to create a credible national database through the NIN without success. However, with the new government’s policy introduced in December 2020 mandating all mobile subscribers to link their SIM with NIN, many Nigerians are being forced to enrol for the national identification number.
The President had earlier noted that “The National Identification Number (NIN) is the foundational digital ID for the country. It will cover one of the weaknesses in our security structure. We will be able to easily identify all Nigerians, including the crooks in our midst.
Newsway research revealed that Lagos State has so far recorded the highest number of enrolments in the country with 9.73 million Nigerians captured in the State. This was followed by Kano State, which recorded 7.3 million registered NIN.
Other states that made the top ten in terms of the number of enrolments include Kaduna with 5 million, Ogun with 3.5 million, Oyo with 3.4 million, FCT with 3 million, Katsina with 2.8 million, Rivers with 2.6 million, Delta with 2.3 million, and Niger with 2.2 million.
NIMC data reveals that 48 million, representing 56% of Nigerians so far captured in the NIN database are male, while 37.52 million, representing 44% are female as enrollment had risen to rose to 85.59 million as of July 7, 2022.
“Both Nigerian citizens and legal residents are expected to obtain the NIN. It will provide access to government services, and will give government useful insights that will enable us utilize scarce resources in a more efficient way.”
