Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Ministry of Defence has affirmed its commitment to partnering with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to fully implement the NIMC Act 2026, leveraging integrated digital identity systems and identity verification to bolster national security operations. This was contained in a statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde, SA Media to the Honourable Minister of Defence.
The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd) OFR, stated this when he received the Director General/CEO of NIMC, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, alongside her management team, at the Ship House in Abuja.
General Musa emphasised that robust interagency collaboration is crucial in addressing the dynamic nature of modern crime and threat environments, noting that tackling internal and external security challenges relies heavily on actionable data.
“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,” General Musa stated.
He added that the Ministry of Defence will continue to extend total support to all government institutions in alignment with its operational mandate.
Earlier, Dr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote highlighted that the visit was focused on discussing the strategic implementation of the NIMC Act 2026 and its pivotal role in strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
Both leaders agreed on the necessity of a secure, trusted, and interoperable digital identity ecosystem to improve identity verification, enhance defence operations, and foster seamless intelligence sharing across government agencies.
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