President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering a credible, secure and inclusive national identity system, declaring that such a system is foundational to Nigeria’s development and governance objectives.
Speaking at the State House, Abuja, during the launch of the NINAuth app, a mobile-based identity authentication platform developed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Tinubu said the initiative marks a major milestone in the nation’s digital transformation drive.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga the President added that his administration is leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance.
In furtherance of this, President Tinubu assured that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will soon adopt the new app for staff and data verification.
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“Today’s official launch of the NIMC NINAuth App heralds a remarkable day in our nation’s digital public infrastructure journey as Africa’s largest identity database. This innovation marks yet another milestone in our collective pursuit of a digitally-empowered Nigeria.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, our administration is committed to leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability in governance. Central to this agenda is the modernisation of digital infrastructure to eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks and ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of background or location, has access to essential services without the frustration of bureaucratic delays”, he said.
President Tinubu explained that the ‘App’ will place Nigeria on par with the world’s most technologically advanced nations and create an environment for seamless, secure, and inclusive access to services, opportunities, and benefits, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and national security.
“This way, we are simplifying access, reducing bureaucratic interference, and reducing the gaps within which inefficiency and corruption can thrive.
“A credible and inclusive National Identity Management System is fundamental to our national development goals. It supports financial inclusion, strengthens social welfare delivery, enhances our security architecture, and ensures accurate population data for evidence-based planning,” the President stated.
President Tinubu noted that with the NINAuth, every citizen and legal resident of Nigeria will benefit from a unified National Identity Database, one that will power social programmes, improve electoral integrity, enhance healthcare access, and promote the equitable distribution of our commonwealth.
President Tinubu called on citizens to adopt the new application, commending NIMC for taking bold steps to transform identity management from a bureaucratic exercise into a dynamic, technology-driven system that aligns with global best practices.
“My fellow Nigerians, the future we seek is one where technology empowers every citizen and where trust in governance is built on efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness. The launch of this application demonstrates that the promises we have made as a government are being responsibly measured and are manifesting in tangible reforms that improve daily life.
“Let us all embrace this new era. Let us protect it, use it responsibly, and ensure that it serves as a bridge, connecting our people, our institutions, and our aspirations for a more prosperous nation.
“Together, we are building a nation where every identity counts and every citizen must matter,” President Tinubu concluded.
Earlier, Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, reiterated the importance of a secure national identity to national development, affirming that President Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, has demonstrated the capacity to solve problems and enhance national security through an improved identity management system.
“Your excellency, you are solving tomorrow’s problem with technology. Technology is dynamic; it is bridging the gap.
“Every nation that desires to be efficient must first build systems that can identify, authenticate, and secure its citizens. Identity is not just an administrative requirement; it is the backbone of governance, national security, and service delivery,” he said.
Explaining the workings of the NINAuth, the Director General, NIMC, Engr (Dr.) Abisoye Coker-Odusote stressed that the app would eliminate multiple data possession by individuals, while providing real-time data and information authentication for businesses and other services.
“It is important that every single business or enterprise in this country, whether it’s a small, medium, or large enterprise, can have access to verifiable identity credentials of every single citizen in Nigeria and the same for the government,” the DG stated.
She added that NIMC had so far enrolled 126,717,316 individuals, with about 25 million of the number occurring in the last two years, resulting in an average of 1.3 million verification hits per day.
