By Ekunkonye Junior
Abuja
The Director-General (DG) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing into law the NIMC Act 2026.
Speaking at the event which held at the Presidential Villa, Odusote said the Friday event marked a defining moment in the history of identity management in Nigeria.
Expressing gratitude to Tinubu, on behalf of the Board and Management of NIMC, for signing the bill into law Odusote said Tinubu’s visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to digital transformation had once again positioned Nigeria for a future driven by innovation, trust and inclusion.
Odusote said: “This landmark legislation is not just an amendment to an existing law; it is a bold leap into the future.
“For nineteen (19) years, the legal framework governing Nigeria’s identity management system remained unchanged, while the digital landscape evolved rapidly. Today, that gap has been closed.”
Odusote explained that the 2026 NIMC Act built on NIMC Act of 2007 by establishing a modern legal framework that further strengthens Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure, creating the foundation for trusted digital identity and seamless access to government and private sector services.
According to the NIMC DG, “the Act reinforces the National Identification Number as the cornerstone of identity verification and authentication across the country.”
Odusote stated further that “the Act also introduces critical innovations that respond to the realities of today’s digital world.
“It strengthens the protection of citizens’ personal data, reinforces cybersecurity measures, provides the legal basis for a robust National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and supports secure digital authentication, encryption and digital signatures. These provisions will enhance trust in digital transactions and protect Nigerians in an increasingly connected economy.
“The Act promotes greater inclusion by ensuring that vulnerable and underserved populations have access to legal identity, enabling them to participate fully in social, economic, and financial opportunities. In the same vein, the Act provides the legal basis for NIMC to become the single root of trust (Root Certificate Authority) for all government transactions.
“As the ultimate trust anchor, NIMC is poised to support all agencies of governments to perform their day-to-day issuance of digital certificates to citizens and end-users – this means that all government agencies can generate digital certificates used to cryptographically authenticate documents, guaranteeing their origin, integrity, and non-repudiation across digital ecosystems.
“This will eliminate duplicate identity investments and provide a common framework for Nigerian National Public Key Infrastructures in line with global best practices.”
Odusote also appreciated the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, members of the National Assembly, the Honourable Minister of the Interior, development partners, stakeholders, and the dedicated staff of NIMC for the great feat achieved.
She pledged that the Commission remained committed to implementing the Act with transparency, professionalism, innovation, and the highest standards of data protection and service delivery.
