The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has reported that enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) has reached 117.3 million as of February 28, 2025. This marks a significant increase from the 110 million enrolees recorded in September 2024, showing an addition of over seven million new enrollees in just five months.
The gender distribution of the enrollees reveals that 66.2 million, or 56.5%, of the registered individuals are male, while 51.07 million, or 43.5%, are female.
Lagos State continues to lead the country with the highest number of NIN registrations, boasting 12.6 million enrollees. Following Lagos, Kano State recorded 10.2 million enrollees, and Kaduna State ranked third with 6.9 million. The data aligns with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which lists Lagos and Kano as Nigeria’s two most populous states.
In order of highest enrolment, the top ten states are: Lagos – 12.6 million, Kano – 10.2 million, Kaduna – 6.9 million, Ogun – 4.9 million, Oyo – 4.5 million, Katsina – 4 million, FCT – 3.7 million, Rivers – 3.5 million, Delta – 3.1 million, and Bauchi – 3 million.
The states with the lowest enrolment numbers include Imo and Kwara with 2 million each, Enugu and Kogi with 1.9 million each, and Bayelsa with 758,111.
Nigeria, through the World Bank’s Digital Identity for National Development (ID4D) project, aims to register all its citizens in the NIN database. However, the country missed the initial deadline set by the World Bank to enrol at least 148 million Nigerians by June 30, 2024. As a result, the project was extended and restructured, with a new closure date set for June 30, 2026.
The restructuring, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), is necessary to meet the increasing demand for a trusted digital ID system that will enhance governance and the delivery of public services.
