Education ministry, NIMC partner to build unified identity system for 80 million learners

The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are deepening collaboration to integrate the National Identification Number (NIN) into Nigeria’s education system, a move aimed at creating a unified identity framework for nearly 80 million learners and strengthening data-driven policy making.

The initiative is expected to improve the accuracy of education data, enhance planning and resource allocation, curb identity-related fraud and provide government with a reliable database for monitoring learning outcomes across the country’s education sector.

Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, disclosed the plan on Thursday in Abuja while receiving Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, and her management team during a courtesy visit.

Alausa said the collaboration aligns with the Federal Government’s broader digital transformation agenda and President Bola Tinubu’s vision of using technology to improve governance, transparency and public service delivery.

“We know the importance of biometric identity to any country. Technology is the enemy of corruption, and we have to use technology to build trust in everything we do. If you say you have an identity, it should be trusted in Nigeria and anywhere in the world,” the minister said.

According to him, the education sector has one of the country’s largest pools of citizens, with about 67 million learners in basic and post-basic education and close to 80 million people when tertiary institutions and technical and vocational education are included.

He said integrating the ministry’s Learner Identification Number with the National Identification Number would provide a single, credible identity for students throughout their academic journey.

“We’ve developed our own learner education number that will align with the NIN to ensure every learner is harmonised within the Nigerian education system. This gives us access to credible biometric data that will support evidence-based policy, data aggregation and disaggregation, as well as monitoring of education outcomes,” Alausa said.

The minister noted that the unified identity system would enable government to better target interventions, improve planning and strengthen accountability in the management of education programmes and public resources.

He pledged the ministry’s full support for NIMC in implementing the recently signed legislation strengthening the country’s digital identity ecosystem, describing the education sector as one of the commission’s most strategic partners because of its extensive coverage of Nigeria’s population.

“We are your ally and will support everything your agency is doing to ensure we have a single source of identity in the country,” he said.

Alausa also commended NIMC for reforms introduced under Coker-Odusote’s leadership, saying the commission had improved the credibility of Nigeria’s identity management system and brought it closer to international standards.

In her remarks, Coker-Odusote said the collaboration would provide the education sector with a trusted identity platform capable of supporting reforms and improving service delivery.

She commended the Ministry of Education for the pace of reforms in the sector and reaffirmed NIMC’s commitment to supporting the ministry’s digital transformation agenda.

According to her, establishing a reliable identity framework for learners would not only strengthen education administration but also contribute to broader national efforts to build a secure and interoperable digital public infrastructure.

“I just want to reassure you that, as the home of identity, you have our support in ensuring that we are able to provide you an identity in the education sector for you,” she said