{
  "id": 7936754,
  "title": "FG Sets December Deadline for 95% NIN Coverage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/fg-sets-december-deadline-for-95-nin-coverage",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T03:16:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/09/17/fg-sets-december-deadline-for-95-nin-coverage-2/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The federal government of Nigeria has set December 2026 as the deadline to achieve 95% coverage of its population under the National Identification Number (NIN) system. This accelerated push aims to make digital identity the foundation for access to public services, financial transactions, and social interventions. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this target during the 2026 National Day of Identity celebration. The national identity database has expanded from around 80 million NINs at the start of the administration to nearly 140 million, marking a significant step towards integrating more Nigerians and legal residents into the formal economic and public-service system. The government's focus on identity registration is central to improving citizen identification, allocating public resources, and granting access to government and financial services. Every NIN represents an individual who can participate in the formal economy, access government services, establish financial relationships, and receive protection from the Nigerian state. To close the remaining identity gap, the government is implementing a ward-level enrolment program that will take registration directly to communities. Over 5,000 enrolment agents have been trained to make the process more accessible to vulnerable groups. The recently enacted National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 has strengthened the identity management framework, including provisions on data protection, mandatory NIN usage in critical sectors, and harsher penalties for identity-related offences. The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has seen substantial growth in enrolment, with over 140 million Nigerians and legal residents now registered in the national database. The commission is also working to streamline the process for updating NIN records, with the NIMC Self-Service Modification Platform processing close to two million record updates, reducing modification times from weeks to 24-48 hours via phone. Additionally, the commission plans to introduce physical National e-ID cards by the end of the year, combining identity verification with access to government benefits and financial payments. These developments are part of a broader government effort to build a digital public infrastructure, with reliable identity information crucial for various sectors, including education, where accurate data is essential for tracking students, teachers, and planning educational needs.",
  "summary": "Michael Olugbode in Abuja The federal government has set December 2026 as the deadline to achieve 95 per cent coverage of Nigeria’s population under the National Identification Number (NIN) system,",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "This Day",
        "title": "FG Sets December Deadline for 95% NIN Coverage",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/fg-sets-december-deadline-for-95-nin-coverage",
        "published": "2026-09-16T15:02:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}