The Federal Ministry of Defence has reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to fully implement the NIMC Act 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen national security through integrated digital identity systems and enhanced identity verification.
According to an official statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Defence, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the commitment was made by the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd) OFR, when he received the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team at the Ship House in Abuja.
The statement said the meeting focused on deepening collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and NIMC to facilitate the strategic implementation of the NIMC Act 2026 and leverage trusted digital identity systems to enhance Nigeria’s security architecture.
Speaking during the meeting, General Musa underscored the importance of inter-agency collaboration in addressing evolving security threats, stressing that reliable and actionable data remains indispensable to effective defence and intelligence operations.
He noted that accurate identity verification is critical to national security, enabling security agencies to identify individuals, monitor potential threats and improve operational effectiveness.
“For us in the security sector, data is critical to know who we are dealing with, who we are expecting, and even those within us, because sometimes the enemy is within. It is therefore vital for us to be able to identify everyone accurately,” the minister said.
General Musa also reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to support government institutions in advancing initiatives that align with its constitutional mandate of safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity and internal security.
Earlier, the NIMC Director General, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the visit provided an opportunity to discuss the strategic implementation of the NIMC Act 2026 and explore ways digital identity infrastructure could further strengthen national security and public service delivery.
According to the statement, both parties agreed on the need to establish a secure, trusted and interoperable digital identity ecosystem capable of improving identity verification, enhancing defence operations and facilitating seamless intelligence sharing among government agencies.
The partnership is expected to support ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s security framework by integrating reliable identity management into defence planning and national security operations.
