By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu/Usman Aliyu
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Population Commission (NPC) have intensified advocacy for birth registration of children under one year, particularly at the grassroots level.
Mr Denis Onoise, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, made the call at a 2-Day Birth Registration Media Dialogue organised by UNICEF in collaboration with NPC in Lagos.
Onoise said civil registration and legal identity systems were essential for generating legally recognised records and establishing every child’s right to recognition before the law.
”Birth registration gives every child legal identity and provides reliable information needed by government to plan effectively for education, healthcare, social protection and other essential services,” he explained.
The UNICEF child protection specialist said birth records provided critical identity information, including a child’s name, gender, place and date of birth, which could be used across government and private-sector services.
According to him, accurate birth registration ensures that children are counted, recognised and protected, while providing government with dependable data for planning, monitoring and evaluating development programmes.
Onoise noted that continuous civil registration data on births and deaths remain vital for effective planning in sectors such as health, education, housing and social protection.
He said the establishment, development and maintenance of civil registration and legal identity systems were essentially the responsibility of government and required strong institutional collaboration for effective implementation.
”The partnership compact seeks to strengthen birth and death registration, ensure interoperability among identity agencies, decentralise services, and promote grassroots participation while improving data accuracy nationwide,” Onoise said
He said key partners included NPC, which oversees birth and death registration; Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), which supports councils, and the National Identity Management Commission.
Onoise added that UNICEF provided technical and financial support, while Bankforth Technologies Ltd. developed and deployed the electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system, VitalReg, to strengthen registration processes.
”Localising registration services will bring them closer to families, remove access barriers and ensure that every birth is promptly captured, accurately recorded and legally recognised across Nigeria,” he added.
In his remarks, Mr Sherifdeen Kekere-Ekun, Lagos State Director of the NPC, said the workshop would enhance public awareness of birth registration and dispel misconceptions that often discourage parents from registering their children.
He said journalists could leverage their platforms to enlighten parents on birth registration, highlighting its importance and providing accurate information on accessible registration points across communities.
Kekere-Ekun said media reports could demonstrate that birth registration transcended documentation, describing it as every child’s fundamental right and a gateway to legal identity and essential services.
According to him, ”birth registration transcends documentation; it is every child’s fundamental right and a gateway to legal identity, education, healthcare, inheritance, voting and social protection”.
AUO/MIL/YAF
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Edited by Yetunde Fatungase