Abuja, Nigeria: An Economist and Data Analyst, Mr Daramola Omoyele, has advised the Federal Government to harmonise the multiple identification numbers in operation in the country.
Omoyele, a Chartered Accountant with a Master’s Degree in Economics and Data Analytics, said this on Sunday in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
He spoke on the heels of the recent Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, which mandated every taxable Nigerian to acquire a Tax Identification Number (TIN) before operating a bank account from January 2026.
President Bola Tinubu, on June 26, signed four tax reform bills into law, which would be effective from January 1, 2026.
The bills are the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
Omoyele said as a chartered accountant with a background in economics and data analytics, he understood that the motive behind the reform was to expand Nigeria’s tax base and strengthen compliance.
He further confirmed that Nigeria’s tax-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio was one of the lowest in Africa, making the push for non-oil revenue crucial.
However, he stressed that while the intention of the new law was good, it may create confusion among citizens who were already concerned about the burden of too many identification systems.
He noted that Nigerians were already burdened with multiple identity numbers, including the Bank Verification Number (BVN) for banking, the National Identity Number (NIN) for national identification, and now the TIN for taxes.
Other identification numbers already in existence, according to him, are account numbers, voter’s card, passport number, driver’s license, and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration details.
“Nigeria needs a single and unified identification system, not multiple,” he said.
Omoyele said rather than simplifying the identification system, each agency had continued to build its own system, forcing citizens to juggle multiple numbers, with little coordination across databases.
He questioned the creation of an extra indentation number for tax when Nigerians already have their BVN and NIN.
“The irony is that Nigeria already has the building blocks of a single digital identity. The NIN is meant to be the master ID for all citizens.
The BVN has already captured biometric and financial data for millions of bank customers.
“Instead of harmonising, the new TIN requirement introduces another barrier for millions of unbanked Nigerians—currently about 38 million adults—these risks deepening financial exclusion rather than solving it,” he said.
Omoyele advised Nigeria to emulate countries that operate a harmonised data-based system, citing India’s Aadhaar number, which is used across taxation, banking, telecoms, and social benefits.
“South Africa’s national ID works seamlessly across voting, banking, and taxation. The UK’s National Insurance Number doubles for tax and employment.
“Nigeria can and should do the same. The NIN should be the universal identity number, with BVN, TIN, and other records linked to it at the backend,” he said.
The expert warned that without harmonisation of the identification system, Nigeria would face challenges in excluding more citizens from banking and financial services.
Other barriers that would be encountered, according to him, include inconsistent records across multiple systems and the waste of resources, including billions of Naira spent on maintaining overlapping databases.
The data analyst added that multiple identification systems would also reduce trust among citizens, saying citizens who were already fatigued by endless registrations may lose faith in government initiatives.
“Nigeria must stop building silos and start building systems that talk to each other. One number is enough.
“If the NIN becomes the central identity, linked seamlessly with tax, banking, telecoms, and other services, citizens will enjoy simpler, cheaper, and more reliable access to government and financial services.
“The new TIN law is well-intentioned, but it risks worsening an already messy identification system. Nigeria should prioritise data harmonisation over multiplication.
