Nigeria’s digital future rests on quality education, says Alausa
By Uji A Iliyasu Abuja
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has said the education sector will play a central role in building Nigeria’s trusted digital future, as the Federal Ministry of Education deepens its partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to strengthen identity management and national planning.
Dr Alausa spoke while receiving the Director-General of NIMC, Engr Bisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team on a working visit to sensitise stakeholders on the newly enacted NIMC Act, 2026.
He described a credible national identity system as one of the most critical foundations for effective governance, quality education and sustainable economic growth.
The Minister linked the reforms to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that education remains central to the administration’s drive to build a one-trillion-dollar economy by supplying the skilled workforce the country needs.
He said President Tinubu’s belief that technology is the strongest tool against corruption was already reshaping governance nationwide through transparent and trusted digital systems, and that this political backing had enabled the Ministry to pursue one of its most ambitious reform programmes in decades.
Dr Alausa commended NIMC’s leadership for repositioning Nigeria’s identity system to meet global standards, describing the new NIMC Act as a milestone that would improve service delivery, strengthen public institutions and widen citizens’ access to government services.
He disclosed that the Ministry had already made significant progress in linking the National Learners’ Identification Number (LIN) with the National Identification Number (NIN) through the Nigeria Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
He said the initiative was generating credible, biometrically verified education data to support evidence-based policymaking, better resource allocation and improved learning outcomes nationwide.
With about 80 million learners spread across early childhood, primary, secondary, technical, vocational and tertiary education, nearly a third of Nigeria’s population, the Minister said the sector remained one of the largest and most strategic platforms for advancing the country’s digital identity ecosystem.
Earlier, Engr Coker-Odusote said NIMC’s nationwide engagement with ministries, departments and agencies was intended to create awareness of the reforms introduced by the NIMC Act 2026 and to deepen institutional collaboration for its implementation.
She noted that the law establishes NIMC as Nigeria’s foundational digital identity authority and provides the legal framework for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), both vital for secure governance and trusted electronic transactions.
She added that the Commission had enrolled over 120 million Nigerians into the national identity database and integrated its verification services with government institutions, banks and telecommunication operators, while also rolling out the NIMC Authentication App and a free Digital ID Card.
Giving an overview of the Act’s provisions, the Head of Strategy and Programme Office at NIMC, Dr Alva Nkoku, said the legislation marked Nigeria’s shift from conventional identity management to a comprehensive national digital trust framework supporting secure authentication, digital signatures and paperless public administration.
He further said the law treats identity as critical national infrastructure and would strengthen education service delivery through secure student enrolment, scholarship administration, examination management and certificate authentication, while curbing fraud and improving data integrity.
In her closing remarks, Engr Coker-Odusote commended Dr Alausa for the reforms underway in the education sector, describing the Ministry as a leading example of innovation in the public service.
She reaffirmed NIMC’s commitment to sustaining the partnership to ensure education fully benefits from Nigeria’s evolving digital identity ecosystem.
Responding, Dr Alausa assured NIMC of the Ministry’s full support in implementing the Act within the education sector, pledging continued collaboration to build a trusted digital identity ecosystem that strengthens education delivery, promotes transparency and advances the Renewed Hope Agenda.