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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to establish a credible, secure, verifiable, and inclusive national identity management system, describing it as vital to achieving Nigeria’s developmental aspirations. The president made this known at the State House during the official unveiling of the NIMC NINAuth App, a digital and mobile-based identity authentication platform developed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). He said his government is leveraging technology to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability across governance processes. “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,” he said. “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.” Tinubu said the new app would elevate Nigeria to the level of the world’s technologically advanced nations, ensuring seamless, secure, and inclusive access to services while maintaining high 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. He noted that the NINAuth App would enable every Nigerian citizen and legal resident to benefit from a unified national identity database that can support social programmes, strengthen electoral integrity, improve healthcare access, and ensure equitable resource distribution. Tinubu urged Nigerians to embrace the new innovation, commending NIMC for transforming identity management from a bureaucratic process into a dynamic, technology-driven system in line with global standards. “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,” he concluded. Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who also spoke at the event,l, emphasised the importance of a secure identity management system for national development, noting that President Tinubu has shown the capacity to address governance challenges through technology under the Renewed Hope Agenda. “Your excellency, you are solving tomorrow’s problem with technology. Technology is dynamic; it is bridging the gap. ALSO READ: JUST IN: Court stops 2025 PDP national convention “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 features of the NINAuth app, NIMC Director-General, Engr. (Dr.) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said it would eliminate multiple data possession by individuals and provide real-time identity authentication for businesses and institutions. “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,” she said. She revealed that NIMC has so far enrolled 126,717,316 Nigerians, with about 25 million of these recorded in the last two years, averaging 1.3 million verification hits daily. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
