The Federal Ministry of Defence has reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to implement the provisions of the NIMC Act 2026, with a view to strengthening national security through integrated digital identity systems and enhanced identity verification.
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), made this known on Sunday while receiving the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team at the Ship House, Abuja.
General Musa stressed that effective collaboration among government institutions is essential in addressing evolving security threats, noting that accurate and reliable data remains indispensable for intelligence gathering, crime prevention, and defence operations.
According to him, the security sector depends on credible identity data 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.
He further assured that the Ministry of Defence would continue to support relevant government institutions in line with its mandate to safeguard the nation’s territorial integrity and internal security.
Earlier, the Director General of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the visit centred on discussions regarding the strategic implementation of the NIMC Act 2026 and its role in strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture through a robust digital identity framework.
She noted that an integrated national identity system would improve identity verification, facilitate intelligence sharing among government agencies, and enhance the country’s overall security infrastructure.
Both the Ministry of Defence and NIMC agreed on the need to build a secure, trusted, and interoperable digital identity ecosystem capable of supporting defence operations and improving interagency collaboration in tackling security challenges across the country.
