The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, have strengthened collaboration to integrate Nigeria’s education sector into the country’s digital identity ecosystem.
The move is expected to provide secure, biometrically verified records for nearly 80 million learners and improve education planning, service delivery and governance.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, reaffirmed then when he received the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a stakeholder engagement on the newly enacted National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Act, 2026.
Speaking at the meeting, Alausa said the Ministry had made significant progress in linking the National Learners’ Identification Number, LIN, with the National Identification Number, NIN, through the Nigeria Education Management Information System, NEMIS.
He explained that the integration would generate credible education data to support evidence-based policymaking, efficient resource allocation, targeted interventions and improved learning outcomes nationwide.
The minister described a credible national identity system as the foundation for effective governance, quality education and sustainable economic growth, noting that the education sector is central to Nigeria’s drive towards a trusted digital future.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s technology-driven reforms are modernising public institutions through transparent and efficient digital systems while positioning education as a key pillar of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
Alausa noted that with about 80 million learners across early childhood, primary, secondary, technical, vocational and tertiary education, the sector provides one of the country’s largest platforms for expanding a secure and trusted national digital identity system.
He also commended NIMC for repositioning Nigeria’s identity management architecture to align with global standards, describing the newly enacted NIMC Act as a landmark legal framework that will strengthen public service delivery, improve access to government services and deepen confidence in digital governance.
Alausa assured the Commission of the Ministry’s full support in implementing the provisions of the NIMC Act across the education sector, stressing that the collaboration would strengthen transparency, improve education delivery and accelerate national development.
Earlier, NIMC Director-General, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, said the Commission’s nationwide engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies was aimed at creating awareness of the reforms introduced by the NIMC Act, 2026, while fostering institutional collaboration for its effective implementation.
She disclosed that the Commission has enrolled more than 120 million Nigerians into the national identity database, integrated its verification services with government agencies, financial institutions and telecommunications operators, and introduced the NIMC Authentication App alongside a free Digital ID Card for citizens.
Coker-Odusote commended the ongoing reforms in the education sector and reaffirmed NIMC’s commitment to sustaining its partnership with the Ministry to ensure that schools and other educational institutions fully benefit from Nigeria’s evolving digital identity ecosystem.
Also speaking, the Head of Strategy and Programme Office at NIMC, Dr. Alva Nkoku, said the new legislation shifts Nigeria from conventional identity management to a comprehensive digital trust framework capable of supporting secure authentication, digital signatures, trusted electronic credentials and paperless public administration.
Nkoku added that the Act would significantly enhance education service delivery through secure student enrolment, scholarship administration, examination management and certificate authentication, while reducing fraud, improving data integrity and supporting Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.
