NIMC, NMDPRA Plan Data Partnership to Improve Petroleum Regulation in Oyo

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) are set to work together to use identity data for better regulation of Oyo State’s petroleum sector.

The plan to work together emerged on Thursday during a courtesy visit by NMDPRA’s Oyo State Coordinator, Mr Niyi Olowookere, and his team to the Oyo State office of NIMC in Ibadan.

Welcoming the NMDPRA delegation, the Team Lead of Oyo state NIMC’s Management Change Champions, Mr Oluwafemi Aniye said the Commission’s job is to build and manage Nigeria’s National Identity Database.

He noted that identity work cannot be done alone, saying partners like NMDPRA are key to using data for better governance and service delivery.

“At NIMC, our mandate remains clear: to establish and manage a credible National Identity Database that ensures every Nigerian and legal resident is uniquely identified.

“But we recognise that this mandate cannot be achieved in isolation,” he said.

He stressed that strategic partners like NMDPRA are vital to deepening data-driven governance and improving service delivery.

“As a Commission, we are committed to bridging institutional gaps, leveraging technology, and ensuring that identity serves as a tool for national planning, regulatory compliance, and economic development,” he said.

In his remarks, NIMC’s Oyo State Coordinator, Mr Olanrewaju Olubanwo, said the meeting offered a valuable opportunity to explore avenues for collaboration to better serve residents of the state.

Olubanwo noted that the operations of the midstream and downstream petroleum sector, including licensing of retail outlets, LPG plant operators, depot operations, and tanker drivers, are critical to the economy and touch millions of Nigerians daily.

“This is where strategic partnership with NIMC becomes vital,” he said.

He maintained that with the National Identification Number (NIN), NMDPRA could strengthen Know Your Customer (KYC) processes for licensees and operators across the value chain.

“It can also combat identity fraud in product lifting, distribution, and retailing, and support safety and accountability by ensuring persons handling hazardous products are properly identified and traceable.

“In addition, it can enhance data for policy by linking sector operators to verifiable identities in the national database,” he added.

Olubanwo pledged the Commission’s readiness to support NMDPRA through dedicated enrolment services for its licensees and staff, integration support for NIN validation into licensing and monitoring platforms, and joint public sensitisation on NIN compliance.

Speaking earlier, Olowokere, who said the visit was a follow-up to an earlier meeting by NIMC’s team, stressed that federal government agencies must break silos through stakeholder engagement.

“No single agency has all the answers. When we share data and solutions, Nigerians benefit most,” he said.

He pledged that his agency would integrate identity verification into its processes to cut fraud, boost safety, and support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on ease of doing business.

Both agencies agreed that their next meeting will centre on technical sessions to turn the discussions into concrete action.