The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has discovered that over 6,000 Nigerien nationals were illegally registered in its database with Nigerian National Identification Numbers (NINs). In response, President Bola Tinubu has directed an inter-ministerial committee to conduct a thorough clean-up of the national identity database.
Sources within the Presidency revealed to PUNCH that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on February 4, 2025, about the situation. The minister noted that the illegal NINs had been withdrawn as part of an ongoing effort to verify and secure the national identity system.
The fraudulent registration of non-Nigerians reportedly occurred in border communities, raising concerns about security risks and unauthorized access to Nigerian government programs. This is not the first time such activities have been uncovered. In 2022, Nigerian security forces arrested two suspects posing as NIMC officials who were found registering non-Nigerians at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Niger Republic.
Authorities say these illegal registrations were often done for a fee, allowing foreigners to obtain Nigerian identity credentials without meeting the necessary requirements. The NIN, which is an 11-digit number linked to biometric and demographic data, is crucial for various official transactions, including banking, social welfare, and telecommunications.
The Presidency has stressed the importance of ensuring that only eligible Nigerians are included in the national database. The clean-up process is particularly relevant to government initiatives such as the National Social Register, which is used for social investment programs like cash transfers and student loans.
A source close to the government stated, “The humanitarian ministry needs the data for its social register to perform its function. Also, the education ministry needs that data for student loans. The President doesn’t want to disburse money to people they cannot identify. They (NIMC) are ensuring that they verify the data. They are also registering more Nigerians and fine-tuning the data. So, the President wants it done quickly.”
To strengthen the oversight of these programs, President Tinubu has included the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo, in a special committee that was originally set up to reform the country’s social investment framework. This committee was first established following the suspension of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in January 2024.
The Director-General of NIMC, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, confirmed that the agency is working to ensure the accuracy of government payments, particularly for social welfare programs. She noted, “This literally means that the people collecting money are not ghost beneficiaries, they’re real people, and they’re identifiable. So, you have to use a verifiable set of records to identify them, and that’s where NIMC comes into play using the NIN.”
Coker-Odusote further explained that the verification process would prevent fraudulent names from appearing on the National Social Register. She stated, “Now, you have to be able to verify the identities on those social registers, which means they must have a NIN for you to be able to make your payment. That way, you just ensure people don’t put fictitious names on the list.”
