The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has pledged to sustain its engagement with the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) and the wider media community to promote transparency, accurate information and public understanding of Nigeria’s new identity management framework.
Mrs. Florence Oloruntade, Director, SERVICOM, who represented the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, made the commitment on Monday in Abuja at the commission’s seventh roundtable workshop with online media partners tagged “The New NIMC Act: Building Trust, Enabling Services, Transforming Nigeria.”
Oloruntade described the relationship between NIMC and the online media as an important partnership, stressing that transparency should not end with the signing of the new NIMC Act 2026 but must remain a continuous obligation.
She said the media would play a crucial role in the implementation of the new law by helping Nigerians understand what has changed, as well as their rights and responsibilities under the new legal framework.
According to her, effective public communication would be particularly important in addressing misconceptions surrounding the National Identification Number (NIN), data privacy and the use of identity information.
“Misinformation about the NIN, about data privacy, about mandatory use has cost us public trust in the past,” she said.
Oloruntade urged ACOE members and other media practitioners to provide accurate and balanced information about the new Act and its implementation, noting that public understanding would be critical to achieving the objectives of the legislation.
She said NIMC remained committed to open dialogue with ACOE and the broader media community, describing such engagement as necessary for building public confidence in the national identity system.
The NIMC official recalled that NIMC began extensive consultations in 2024, including roundtable discussions in Abuja and Lagos, where stakeholders raised concerns about the inclusion of vulnerable Nigerians, eligibility for NIN, data ownership and the circumstances under which identity information could be disclosed.
Oloruntade said the NIMC Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 26, repealed and replaced the 2007 Act and provided a modern legal foundation for Nigeria’s identity management system.
“The new legislation strengthens data protection, provides clearer provisions on inclusion and eligibility, and gives NIMC expanded responsibilities in secure authentication, encryption, digital signatures and electronic trust services.
“The law also provides legal backing for greater interoperability among government databases and identity systems, with potential benefits for national security and access to essential services.
“The ultimate responsibility was now to ensure that Nigerians not only know that a new identity law exists but also understand how it affects them”, the Director-General said.
