The National Population Commission (NPC) has said no fewer than five million births are recorded annually in Nigeria, just as the commission has commenced the registration of births and deaths.

However, the commission said majority of new births are not registered.

Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Aminu Yussuf, who disclosed this at the commencement of registration of births and deaths in Minna, Niger State on Monday, said birth registration coverage in the country stands at about 57 per cent, while death registration is below 20 per cent.

“These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limits the availability of reliable data needed for effective national planning,” Yussuf said.

Speaking through Mallam Musa Sabo, a Director in the Niger State Office of the commission, Yussuf declared that to address the challenge, the commission has established 4,011 functional registration centres across the 774 local government areas in the country in addition to planning to expand the network to about 8,000.

He disclosed that the action aligns with the nationwide full digital birth and death registration under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system introduced, which he said “will strengthen civil registration, enhance the generation of vital statistics and ensure that every births and deaths occurring in Nigeria are captured through a modern, efficient and digitally enabled registration system”.

According to him, “It is my privilege to formally announce the full commencement of the digital registration of births and deaths on the vital reg platform under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system.

“Today’s announcement marks the next critical step in our collective effort to build a modern, efficient and technology-driven civil registration system that meets international standards and supports Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“This digital innovation is one of the most transformative reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria. It reflects the commission’s unwavering commitment to leverage technology, to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and guarantee that every birth and every death occuring in Nigeria is documented accurately and securely.”

The chairman stressed that civil registration “is far more than an administrative process” because it contributes to reliable national statistics that guides public policy, resource allocation and development planning.

Some newly born babies were registered at the forum. (THISDAY)

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