President Bola Tinubu on Thursday unveiled NINAuth, a digital identity and consent-management platform that allows Nigerians to control who accesses their personal data across government, banking, telecoms, and education services.
The app, developed by the National Identity Management Commission, was unveiled at the State House, Abuja, during a ceremony attended by top government officials, including the Ministers of Interior, Finance, and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
Speaking to State House correspondents shortly after the launch, the Director-General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, described NINAuth as “a platform that restores data autonomy to Nigerians.”
She explained, “It’s a platform that allows user consent management, meaning Nigerians now have control over their own data.
“With this app, users can decide what information they want to share and who they want to share it with, whether it’s for banking, SIM registration, education, or health insurance.”
The DG noted that NINAuth allows individuals to revoke access to their data at any time, adding that the system was designed to promote transparency and digital privacy.
“After giving someone access to your data, you can later decide to revoke that access. It gives citizens autonomy and full control. It’s also seamless, for example, if law enforcement stops you, you can open the app and show your digital ID right away,” she said.
According to her, the application consolidates multiple identification credentials — such as driver’s licence, student loan ID, health insurance card, and bank verification- into a single digital wallet.
“This is the first time we are having this kind of app in Nigeria. It allows every individual to use their identity data to improve their daily lives seamlessly,” she said.
Coker-Odusote emphasised that NINAuth also addresses the widespread issue of form duplication during registration processes.
“Now, instead of filling out repetitive forms at banks or offices, you can simply scan a QR code, and your verified data is accessed instantly,” she said.
The DG added that the platform integrates Nigeria’s various sectoral databases, such as those used for tax, banking, immigration, and education, through the National Identification Number, which serves as the country’s foundational digital identity.
“NIMC-NIN is the single source of truth. Every other sectoral ID links back to it,” she explained, adding, “This linkage helps government interventions reach real people, ensures accountability, and prevents ghost beneficiaries.”
The commission said NINAuth also strengthens transparency in government-to-person transactions by enabling traceable, auditable data access.
Through the app, users can view real-time alerts whenever their NIN is accessed, track data requests, and approve or deny them instantly, she explained.
The launch featured live demonstrations showing how NINAuth simplifies passport renewal, tax registration, student loan access, and small business onboarding.
