NIMC Says New Act Strengthens Data Protection, Expands Digital Identity Coverage
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On July 9, 2026, Uche Chigbo, Coordinating Director of Operations at the National Identity Management Commission, stated that the newly enacted NIMC Act 2026 strengthens data protection and privacy.
According to her, the law also expands identity coverage to every person on Nigerian soil and provides the legal framework for a secure digital identity ecosystem. Speaking on Arise TV on July 9, 2026, she stated that the new Act replaces the 2007 law that had governed national identity management for nearly 19 years.
“The NIMC 2007 Act has been operating for close to 19 years now. With a lot of technological advancements in the world now, with the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, and with a lot of evolving cybersecurity challenges as well as the ever-growing digital economy, it has become very necessary that a comprehensive review of the NIMC Act should be done. So the 2007 Act has been repealed, and a new NIMC 2026 Act is in place.”
Uche Chigbo emphasises that the new Act mandates NIMC to enrol every person within Nigeria’s borders, regardless of nationality or status, including internally displaced persons, orphans, and Nigerians in the diaspora.
She also confirmed that the Act designates NIMC as the sole repository for biometric data in Nigeria, with a mandate to harmonise identity systems across all government agencies.
“NIMC’s mandate is to make sure that we harmonise and integrate with all these agencies so that you are one and the same person in any of the databases or registries that you have.”
Uche Chigbo confirmed that enrolment and issuance of the National Identification Number remain free of charge, while other identity-related services attract fees paid electronically through the government’s Remita platform.
She also disclosed that NIMC has launched a self-service online modification portal allowing Nigerians to correct or update their personal data without visiting a NIMC centre, and that the Commission is currently conducting a public sensitisation campaign to educate Nigerians on the rights, obligations, and penalties in the new legislation.
