President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026.
Tinubu appended his signature at the State House on Friday.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assented to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 in the State House on Friday,” his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a terse statement on X on Friday.
The NIMC also announced the signing, describing the legislation as a transformative milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards a secure, inclusive, and digitally empowered nation.
It said that the new Act repeals and replaces the NIMC Act of 2007, and establishes a modern, forward-looking legal framework that aligns Nigeria’s identity ecosystem with global best practices, emerging technologies, and the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy.
The agency explained that a defining feature of the new Act is the designation of NIMC as the Root Certification Authority for Nigeria’s National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), “thereby establishing the Commission as the nation’s trusted authority responsible for underpinning secure digital identity, authentication, and electronic trust services across government and private-sector digital platforms”.
“The Act further empowers NIMC to ensure secure, interoperable, and seamless data exchange among all public and private entities, laying the legal and institutional foundation for a trusted digital economy.
“This landmark reform directly advances President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by accelerating digital transformation, strengthening national security, expanding financial and social inclusion, improving public service delivery, and supporting the development of a secure Digital Public Infrastructure capable of driving innovation, economic growth, and Nigeria’s aspiration of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy,” it added.
Key Provisions, Innovations
It further explained that the NIMC Act 2026 responds to the realities of rapid expansion of digital services and threats by modernising Nigeria’s identity management framework, strengthening digital trust, protecting citizens’ personal data, enhancing cybersecurity and positioning the country to fully harness the opportunities presented by the global digital economy.
The agency said that the Act strengthens NIMC’s role as the statutory authority responsible for the national identification system in the country, reinforces the principle of “one person, one management system in Nigeria,” firmly establishes the National Identification Number (NIN), and enables seamless identity verification and authentication across government and private-sector platforms.
“Importantly, the Act positions NIMC at the centre of Nigeria’s digital trust architecture by assigning it strategic responsibility for the National Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Public Infrastructure,” it stated.
Other key features of the law include robust data protection and privacy, national public key infrastructure (PKI), and digital public infrastructure (DPI), secure digital identity and interoperability, general multipurpose card, and inclusivity for vulnerable groups, and stronger anti-fraud measures.
What Nigerians Can Expect
“The implementation of the Act will deliver significant benefits by creating a trusted, secure, and interoperable digital identity ecosystem that enables seamless access to services across both the public and private sectors while strengthening electronic trust across Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Nigerians can expect wider, easier, and more convenient access to identity services, including for Nigerians in the Diaspora, stronger protection of personal data and privacy, enhanced cybersecurity, and greater confidence in digital transactions, faster, safer, and more secure identity verification and authentication.
“Through this landmark Act, President Tinubu has strengthened the legal foundation for Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure by designating NIMC as the Root Certification Authority for the National Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Public Infrastructure,” the NIMC said.
It added that the historic reform would strengthen the protection of citizens’ data, enhance cybersecurity, establish trusted digital identity and authentication services, enable secure and interoperable data exchange across government and private-sector platforms, expand access to essential services, and support the administration’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
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