Enrolments for the National Identification Number (NIN) rose to 118.4 million in March 2025, according to the latest data released by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
This shows that the country recorded about one million fresh enrolments in the last month, as the total enrolment figure stood at 117.3 million at the end of February.
According to the statistics, Lagos State has so far recorded the highest number of enrolments in the country, with 12.7 million Nigerians captured in the State.
This was followed by Kano State, which recorded 10.4 million registered NIN. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s two most populous states have maintained the lead in NIN enrollment since the beginning of the exercise.
Kaduna State came distant-third with 6.9 million NIN enrolment figure at the end of March.
Gender distribution
In terms of the gender distribution of the enrolees, the NIMC data reveals that 66.9 million, representing 56.5% of Nigerians so far captured in the NIN database, are male, while 51.5 million, representing 43.5%, are female.
- Meanwhile, 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 3.8 million; Rivers 3.5 million; Delta 3.2 million, and Jigawa with 3.1 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 1.4 million; Ekiti 1.1 million; Ebonyi 999,991; and Bayelsa 767,620.
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.
