ABUJA — In a renewed push to expand the country’s national identity coverage, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced plans to deploy members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) across Nigeria to support the ongoing enrolment drive for the National Identification Number (NIN).
The initiative, unveiled on Wednesday, June 26, 2025, aims to significantly boost the pace of NIN registration, particularly in underserved and remote communities where access to official enrolment centres remains limited.
According to the Commission, the involvement of corps members is part of a wider strategy to leverage youthful manpower, digital literacy, and grassroots presence to achieve universal identity coverage in line with Nigeria’s Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ briefing in Abuja, a senior official of NIMC explained that selected corps members would undergo special training and be provided with the necessary tools to function as NIN registration officers in their various places of primary assignment.
“The use of NYSC members will help us reach millions of Nigerians who have yet to enrol due to location, mobility, or resource challenges. This is a strategic collaboration to bridge the identity gap and ensure that no Nigerian is left behind,” the official said.
The deployment comes as Nigeria continues to intensify efforts to harmonise data systems, enhance national security, and improve access to government services tied to the NIN, including banking, telecommunications, and social welfare schemes.
While over 100 million Nigerians have been captured so far, the Federal Government has set a target to register at least 160 million citizens by the end of 2025. NIMC believes that integrating NYSC into the enrolment process will bring the agency closer to this ambitious milestone.
The move has received support from the NYSC Directorate, which has pledged its cooperation in ensuring that corps members are properly mobilised and monitored during their participation in the identity registration exercise.
However, some data protection experts have called for adequate supervision, security protocols, and ethical training to ensure that the expanded registration process adheres to national data privacy laws and global best practices.
The Commission assured the public that it would maintain strict oversight and provide a secure environment for all enrolment operations conducted by corps members.
