Abuja, Nigeria, April 1, 2025 – The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced that 117 million Nigerians have been issued the National Identity Number (NIN) as of February 28, 2025. Lagos State leads the nation with over 12.6 million registered individuals, closely followed by Kano State with over 10.2 million registrations.
The latest enrollment statistics from the NIMC dashboard reveal a significant gender disparity in the registration numbers. Approximately 66,281,803 (56.5%) of the registered individuals are male, while 51,079,521 (43.5%) are female. This highlights the need for targeted initiatives to encourage more women to enroll for their NINs.
State-by-State Breakdown
A regional analysis of the data indicates a near-equal distribution of registrations between the northern and southern parts of the country. Here's a breakdown of the top performing states:
- Lagos: 12,667,024 Registrations
- Kano: 10,246,055 Registrations (5,924,126 males, 4,321,929 females)
- Kaduna: 6,945,818 Registrations (3,832,083 males, 3,113,735 females)
- Ogun: 4,926,721 Registrations (2,567,102 males, 2,359,619 females)
- Oyo: 4,539,340 Registrations (2,361,100 males, 2,178,240 females)
- Katsina: 4,019,964 Registrations (2,369,071 males, 1,650,893 females)
- FCT Abuja: 3,795,690 Registrations (2,213,061 males, 1,582,629 females)
- Rivers: 3,532,787 Registrations (1,923,311 males, 1,609,476 females)
- Delta: 3,198,779 Registrations (1,691,182 males, 1,507,597 females)
- Bauchi: 3,078,996 Registrations (1,927,994 males, 1,151,002 females)
On the other end of the spectrum, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, and Ekiti states have the lowest enrollment figures.
Implications and Future Steps
The NIN is a crucial component of Nigeria's national identity infrastructure, essential for accessing various government services, financial transactions, and other civic duties. The increasing number of NIN registrations reflects the government's efforts to promote national identity and improve security.
NIMC is expected to ramp up its enrollment drive in states with low registration numbers, especially targeting women, to ensure that all Nigerians are captured in the national identity database. They are also expected to address any logistical or technical challenges that may be hindering the registration process in certain regions.
