Tinubu Sets December 2026 Deadline for Nationwide NIN Registration

Tinubu Sets December 2026 Deadline for Nationwide NIN Registration
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Tinubu Sets December 2026 Deadline for Nationwide NIN Registration

President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the National Identity Database before the end of 2026 as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive and reliable national identity system.

The directive was disclosed by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

She said the commission had been mandated to extend the registration exercise to every part of the country, including remote and underserved communities, to ensure no Nigerian is left out before the expiration of the deadline.

According to Coker-Odusote, NIMC is collaborating with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project to accelerate the nationwide enrolment exercise. She added that trained private enrolment partners have also been engaged to boost registration efforts across the country.

She explained that the National Identification Number (NIN) serves as a unique identifier for every Nigerian, guaranteeing that each individual has only one official identity record.

According to her, the system is specifically designed to eliminate multiple registrations and strengthen the country’s identity management framework.

The NIMC boss noted that a comprehensive national identity database would also enable the government to determine Nigeria’s actual population, pointing out that current estimates range between 200 million and 250 million people, making effective planning difficult.

She said reliable identity records would provide government with accurate demographic data for policy formulation, economic planning and improved delivery of public services.

Addressing concerns over duplicate registrations, Coker-Odusote disclosed that the commission has deployed an upgraded biometric verification system capable of detecting duplicate enrolment attempts before they are accepted into the database.

She explained that unlike the previous system, which identified duplicate entries only after submission, the new technology verifies identity details in real time during registration. If an individual attempts to register more than once, the system immediately identifies the existing record and rejects the duplicate application.

She added that fingerprint and facial recognition technologies have further enhanced the integrity of the registration process, making it virtually impossible for any individual to possess more than one official identity.

Coker-Odusote also said the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 has significantly strengthened the commission’s authority over biometric identity management in Nigeria.
Under the new law, government agencies and private organisations will no longer maintain separate biometric databases but will instead verify identities directly through NIMC using Application Programming Interface (API) integration.

She noted that telecommunications companies are already operating under this arrangement by validating subscribers’ facial biometrics against NIMC records in real time during SIM registration and verification.

President Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026 into law on June 26, replacing the 2007 Act and reinforcing the Federal Government’s “One Person, One Identity” policy.

The legislation also establishes the National Identification Number as the primary means of identification for accessing key public and private sector services, including banking, passport processing, taxation, pensions, land transactions and consumer credit facilities.

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Customs Unveils 3,852 Successful Recruits, Adopts Annual Employment Exercise The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise and unveiled plans to institutionalise annual recruitment to ensure continuous manpower renewal. Speaking at a press briefing, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the successful applicants were selected across three entry cadres, with 1,275 recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre. Adeniyi said the publication of the final list marks the successful conclusion of the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024. He apologised for the delay in completing the exercise, attributing it to the unprecedented number of applications received and the Service’s determination to conduct a transparent, credible and merit-driven recruitment process. According to the Customs boss, the Service received 573,680 applications for just 3,852 available positions, making the exercise one of the most competitive in the agency’s history. He explained that all applications underwent rigorous screening procedures, including computer-based examinations, verification of credentials against the National Identity database, and additional checks where inconsistencies were detected. He noted that candidates who made the final list would still undergo physical and medical examinations before receiving final approval from the Nigeria Customs Service Board. Adeniyi disclosed that the overall success rate was 0.67 per cent, meaning only one out of every 148 applicants secured a place in the exercise. Breaking down the figures, he said the Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, representing one successful applicant out of every 217 candidates. The Inspectorate Cadre recorded 128,604 applications for 367 positions, making it the most competitive category with one successful candidate for every 350 applicants, while the Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 vacancies, translating to one successful applicant for every 76 candidates. He encouraged unsuccessful applicants not to be discouraged, stressing that many met the required qualifications but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies and intense competition. The Comptroller-General said the recruitment reflected the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented. Each state was allocated 105 slots, comprising 35 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, while the FCT received 72 slots under the approved allocation formula. On gender representation, Adeniyi revealed that women accounted for 839 successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake, slightly higher than their 21.2 per cent share of the total applications received. He added that female applicants recorded a marginally higher success rate than their male counterparts, particularly in the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to encouraging greater female participation in future recruitment, especially in operational and enforcement roles. According to him, the exercise also produced a youthful workforce, with a median age of 26 years and nearly three-quarters of the successful candidates below the age of 30. He said the youthful intake would strengthen the Service’s capacity to embrace modern customs administration driven by technology, data analytics and automated risk management. Adeniyi further announced that the Nigeria Customs Service would now conduct recruitment exercises annually instead of waiting several years between recruitment cycles. He disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year, expressing confidence that future recruitment would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the publication of the final list. According to him, the digital systems, screening architecture and verification processes developed during the current exercise would significantly shorten future recruitment timelines. He explained that the annual recruitment policy would enable the Service to plan its workforce more effectively, promptly replace retiring personnel and provide qualified Nigerians with predictable employment opportunities. The Comptroller-General advised successful candidates to rely only on official Nigeria Customs Service communication channels for further instructions, reiterating that recruitment into the Service remains completely free. He urged members of the public to report anyone demanding money in exchange for employment, describing such individuals as fraudsters. Congratulating the successful candidates, Adeniyi reminded them that they earned their positions through a rigorous and highly competitive process and urged them to uphold the professionalism, discipline and integrity expected of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. He also assured unsuccessful applicants that another opportunity would be available later this year under the newly introduced annual recruitment programme.

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