The National Identity Management Commission has stated that the number of Nigerians holding National Identification Numbers reached 104.16 million on December 31, 2023, representing a 10.77% growth over the previous year.
This is contained in the commission’s latest NIN enrolment data.
According to the report, 10.13 million Nigerians registered for NIN in 2023, falling short of the Federal Government’s monthly aim of 2.5 million registrations.
According to the NIMC, a monthly average of 844,167 Nigerians received NIN in 2023, revealing a significant deficit from the government’s goal.
Lagos State had the largest cumulative enrolment data, with over 11.4 million, but regional distribution showed a nearly equal dispersion between the North and South.
According to the NIMC, 530,345 Nigerians in the diaspora currently have NINs, with 59.12 million males and 45.04 million females.
Despite the gains, the results fall short of the World Bank’s aim of 148 million NINs by June 2024 as part of the Digital Identification for Development project.
By the deadline, the project hopes to have issued NINs to at least 65 million female Nigerians and 50 million NINs to children under the age of 16.
Lagos (11.43 million), Kano (9.19 million), Kaduna (6.45 million), Ogun (4.41 million), and Oyo (4.04 million) are the top five states for NIN enrollment.
Meanwhile, Taraba (1.49 million), Cross River (1.19 million), Ekiti (1.03 million), Ebonyi (839,506), and Bayelsa (657,484) are the states with the lowest enrolment rates.
The NIMC has acknowledged the slow progress and the challenges in meeting the World Bank’s target.
The commission also assures the public that efforts are being made to improve the efficiency of the NIN enrolment procedure.
