Nigeria Approves VPASS Biometric Passenger Verification at Airports

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council has approved the deployment of VPASS, a contactless biometric passenger verification system developed by VERXID Technologies Limited, across the country’s domestic airports. Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo announced the approval, which covers Nigeria’s five major international airports at Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu for domestic operations.

VPASS uses facial recognition technology to verify passenger identities against the National Identification Number database. The system is designed to eliminate unauthorized boarding and address data inconsistencies caused by inconsistent airline passenger records. VERXID will deploy as concessionaire, with implementation to begin with infrastructure rollout at participating airports followed by a nationwide awareness campaign. The system will also extend to private aviation to strengthen security oversight across that sector.

Keyamo stated the rationale directly: “Too many people board aircraft using fake identities. This system will confirm passengers are who they claim to be.” VERXID Technologies Limited is led by Managing Director and CEO Adebayo Bankole. The company has prior experience with Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission through work with Barnksforte Technologies, which uses VERXID’s platform for contactless biometric enrollment into the National Identity Database.

VPASS will verify passengers against the NIN database, which is accessible through platforms including NIMC’s NINAuth real-time verification system launched in May 2025. The NIN database itself is actively expanding: Nigeria’s World Bank-backed digital ID project, targeting 180 million NIN enrollments, is building the population-scale database coverage that makes airport biometric verification operationally viable. VPASS applies NIN-linked facial verification similar to what is already used in Nigeria Immigration Service’s facial recognition passport renewal system, extending the technology from issuance to boarding security.

The FEC session that approved VPASS also cleared seven other aviation measures, including airfield lighting upgrades, aeronautical information management systems, radio power systems, and 15 airport rescue and firefighting vehicles. Revenue generation is an explicit component of the VPASS rationale: the system’s integrated identity management platform is described as providing “revenue assurance through accurate data analytics” by enabling precise passenger counting and tracking across the domestic aviation sector.

Sources: Punch Nigeria, Nigerian Communications Week

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team