Data from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has revealed that enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) rose to 117.3 million as of February 28, 2025.
The Director-General of the NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, had put the figure of enrolment at 110 million as of September last year.
This indicates that the NIN database has grown by over seven million in the last five months.
In terms of the gender distribution of the enrolees, the NIMC data reveals that 66.2 million, representing 56.5% of Nigerians so far captured in the NIN database are male, while 51.07 million, representing 43.5% are female.
Top states with NIN enrolees
According to the latest data, Lagos State maintained the top spot by recording the highest number of enrolments in the country with 12.6 million Nigerians captured in the State.
Lagos was followed by Kano State, which recorded 10.2 million registered NIN, while Kaduna came third with 6.9 million.
- Going by data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Lagos and Kano are the two most populous states in Nigeria.
- NIMC’s figures also show that these two states have maintained the lead in NIN enrolment since the beginning of the exercise.
- Aside from Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna, other states that made the top ten in terms of the number of enrolments include Ogun with 4.9 million; Oyo with 4.5 million; Katsina with 4 million; FCT with 3.7 million; Rivers with 3.5 million; Delta 3.1 million, and Bauchi with 3 million.
NIMC data shows that the 10 states with the lowest NIN enrolees are: Imo 2 million; Kwara 2 million; Enugu 1.9 million; Kogi 1.9 million; Yobe 1.8 million; Taraba 1.7 million; Cross River 1.3 million; Ekiti 1.1 million; Ebonyi 990,775; and Bayelsa 758,111.
What you should know
Nigeria through the World Bank’s Digital Identity for National Development (ID4D) project is currently striving to register all its citizens in the NIN database.
- Last year, the country missed the deadline set by the World Bank to capture at least 148 million Nigerians by June 30. This led to the extension and restructuring of the project by the World Bank
- According to the Bank, the extension was necessary to guarantee the complete disbursement of the $430 million pledged for the project by the financiers.
- The project is being co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
- With the restructuring of the project, the Bank said the closure has now been extended by two years to June 30, 2026.
It noted that the extension became necessary for the project to respond to the increasing demand for an inclusive and trusted digital ID system that will strengthen the transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of governance and the delivery of public services and programs.
