Nigeria has introduced ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC), a move aimed at advancing regional unity, modernising identity management, and reinforcing security across West Africa.
Gatekeepers News reports that the launch took place on Friday in Abuja, where Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, formally presented the new card at an event held at the Transcorp Hilton.
The minister described the initiative as a powerful new beginning for secure movement within the region and a significant step in deepening integration among member states.
ENBIC was first adopted by ECOWAS in 2014 to replace the bloc’s handwritten travel certificates. The upgraded card features an electronic chip that houses both biometric and biographical details, enabling reliable identity verification, curbing fraud, and simplifying travel across member countries. Senegal became the first nation to issue the card in 2016.
Since then, five other ECOWAS states—Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone have fully rolled out the system. Nigeria now becomes the seventh country to implement it.
Tunji-Ojo noted that the delay in Nigeria’s adoption did not reflect the country’s capabilities, saying, “It is unlike the Nigerian standard. That is very unusual, but the good news is that President Tinubu came in, insisted on delivery, and today the promise has become a reality. This is leadership in action, not about what we will do but what we have done.”
He explained that the card would serve as the backbone of a modernised security and identity framework, one that would significantly improve intelligence operations and border management.
Tunji-Ojo said, “You cannot protect who you do not know. Identification is the bedrock of security”, adding that the system would help combat irregular migration.
He also revealed that Nigeria is working with other ECOWAS countries to establish a regional migration database comparable to the Schengen model, a step he said would further strengthen cross-border security initiatives within the subregion.
