A fresh push for universal identity registration has emerged as the National Identity Management Commission urges parents and guardians across Nigeria to secure the National Identification Number for their children, emphasising its mandatory status for key educational milestones like the 2026 Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations.
The commission’s advisory, shared on its official X platform on Friday, underscores that the NIN has evolved from an optional document to a critical academic tool essential for school registrations, scholarship applications, and various government-linked benefits. “Dear Nigerian parent, your child needs an NIN. NIN is now important for school registrations, exams, scholarships, and many other government benefits,” the commission stated in its public alert.
To eliminate the burden of long-distance travel, NIMC has decentralised its operations through the newly launched Ward Enrollment Strategy. The commission revealed that registration points have been moved closer to communities to capture students at the grassroots level before the examination registration deadlines.
“And NIMC Ward Enrollment is happening close to you. So locate the closest Ward Enrollment Centre to you and get started,” the advisory urged.
Recognising the urgency, NIMC has provided digital and telephonic tools to help parents find their nearest center without hassle. This is part of the Assured Identity mandate aimed at providing every Nigerian child with a unique digital footprint.
“To know the closest Ward Enrollment Centre to you, you can check our website or you can call the toll-free line on the screen. NIMC, providing assured identity,” the NIMC added.
According to the commission’s guidelines for 2026, minors (children under 16) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who already possesses a valid NIN. Parents are encouraged to bring original birth certificates or statutory declarations of age to the ward centers.
The commission further clarified that the process remains free of charge at all official centres, warning the public against patronising unauthorised agents.
This advisory aligns with broader efforts to integrate the NIN into everyday services, reflecting Nigeria’s long-standing pursuit of a robust national identity system that began in the late 1970s. The first formal attempt at a national identity scheme occurred in 1977 under the Department of National Civic Registration, but it faltered due to inadequate infrastructure and verification challenges.
Real momentum built in 2007 with the passage of the NIMC Act No. 23, establishing the National Identity Management Commission to create, operate, and manage a unified national identity database. This legislation repealed the earlier Department of National Civic Registration and transferred its assets to NIMC, empowering the commission to register citizens and legal residents, assign unique National Identification Numbers, and issue multi-purpose cards.
The NIN itself was officially introduced in 2010, with nationwide registration kicking off in 2013, aiming to harmonize fragmented identity systems across government institutions. By 2017, NIMC had issued NINs to over 20 million Nigerians, marking a significant expansion from initial enrolments. The system’s growth accelerated, reaching over 100 million enrolments by 2023 and crossing 126 million by late 2025, driven by partnerships with banks, telecoms, and immigration services.
Challenges have persisted, including privacy concerns, data security risks, and socio-cultural barriers in a diverse nation like Nigeria. A 2007 scandal involving the French firm Sagem, which was initially contracted for biometric data capture, led to corruption allegations and delays, underscoring the need for ethical governance in identity management.
The integration of NIN into education stems from mandates like the 2017 Mandatory Use of the National Identification Number Regulations, which extended its application to services including banking, voter registration, and now academic processes. For instance, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has required NIN for UTME registrations since 2020, while the West African Examinations Council insisted on it for candidate enrolments starting in 2021.
Scholarships, such as the NNPC/SEPLAT JV National Undergraduate Scholarship and federal programs under the Ministry of Education, now mandate NIN for eligibility, aligning with efforts to promote financial inclusion and transparent service delivery.
The Ward Enrollment Strategy, launched in early 2026, represents a decentralization push following a presidential directive to extend registration to grassroots levels, with exercises commencing on February 16, 2026. This initiative involves training corps members and deploying mobile units to cover 774 local government areas, aiming to reduce extortion incidents by 40 percent and enhance accessibility.
Under the Assured Identity mandate, NIMC focuses on providing every citizen, including children, with a secure digital footprint to foster inclusive governance and economic participation. For minors, enrolment requires a parent’s or guardian’s NIN slip, birth certificate, and physical presence, with no fees at official centers.
As Nigeria’s population exceeds 200 million, the NIN database’s expansion supports digital economy goals, such as the new multipurpose national ID card with payment capabilities, rolled out in 2024 under the AFRIGO scheme. However, experts highlight ongoing issues like data breaches and low rural penetration, urging sustained reforms for trust and efficiency.
