NIN Project: FG Seeks One-Year Extension as $196 Million Remains Unused, Issuance Falls Short

• Nigeria’s NIN project faces a proposed extension to December 2027, with approximately $196 million undisbursed and identification issuance below target.

The Federal Government has requested a 12-month extension of Nigeria’s $430 million digital identity project as funding disbursement and National Identification Number issuance lag behind targets.

The proposed extension would shift the project’s closing date from December 31, 2026, to December 31, 2027.

According to a World Bank restructuring paper cited by PUNCH, approximately $234 million had been disbursed, leaving about $196 million outstanding across the project’s three financiers.

About 121 million people had received NINs by September 30, against a target of 180 million.

The report distinguished completed NIN issuance from enrolment: applicants must pass biometric, demographic and duplicate checks before receiving identification numbers.

A major outstanding task is replacing NIMC’s existing technology with the National Identity Management System 2.0. Deployment and data migration are scheduled for December 2027.

The extension remains a proposal in the cited document. The undisbursed balance represents financing yet to be released, rather than a finding of missing funds.