By Egena Sunday Ode
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has applauded the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the process as unrivaled.
He attributed the development to the administration’s reforms being undertaken by the current management of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), particularly with the enactment of the NIMC Act 2026.
Senator Shettima, who stated this, Wednesday, when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, a delegation from NIMC led by its Director General, Engr. Abisoye Odusote, said the reorganisation will enable the establishment of a sovereign Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Nigeria.
He noted that this is in addition to the transitioning of governments from paper-based administration to secure digital governance, using robust trust architectures.
The Vice President said Engr. Odusote’s leadership and impact on NIMC’s transformation from a database custodian to Nigeria’s foundational digital authority within a short period was unprecedented, rare and worthy of commendation.
He urged the entire management to lend their support for the transformative works of the Director General and adopt more technology driven models, with a view to advancing key components of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.
He said across all sectors, the Tinubu administration is taking bold steps and making courageous decisions that will impact positively on Nigerians in education, healthcare delivery, drive financial inclusion and secure digital governance, among others.
Earlier, the CEO of NIMC, Engr. Odusote, congratulated President Tinubu for signing the NIMC Bill into law, highlighting that the legislation represents a significant transformation in Nigeria’s identity ecosystem.
According to her, the development ensures that all government databases can communicate with one another while enabling citizens to interact with the government more efficiently.
Highlighting the progress made so far, the Director General stressed that the Nigerian Immigration Service now uses the National Identification Number (NIN) for the issuance and renewal of passports.
She maintained that the NIN is now the single source of truth for Nigerian identity, adding that many insurance companies, financial institutions, and public agencies are already integrated into the new national digital public infrastructure.
The NIMC Act 2026 was signed into law by President Tinubu to activate the transition of Nigeria’s identity framework from the restrictive 2007 Act to a modern, sovereign digital public infrastructure (DPI) that secures national control over digital trust infrastructure and reduces foreign reliance.
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