UNICEF

The federal government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has disclosed plans to flag off the e-birth registration in five states.

This is even as it has targeted 928,523 birth registrations of under-five children in Southern region of Nigeria before the end of 2024. The target for Oyo State is 304,058; Osun State, 151,317; Ekiti State, 133,276; Ogun State 172,516, and Edo State, 167,356.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had inaugurated the national coordination committee of the electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) system under the National Population Commission (NPC). The platform will digitalise all civil documentation such as birth and stillbirth registrations, birth attestation, adoption, marriage notification, divorce notification, migration and death.

The e-birth registration will be flagged-off before the end of July, 2024, according to UNICEF child protection specialist, Denis Onoise.

Onoise, who disclosed this at a two-day media dialogue, organised by UNICEF, NPC and the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, in Lagos, said the e-birth registration was conceptualised about two years ago, with the plan to ensure every child in Nigeria has legal identity.

The right of every child to birth registration is enshrined in various international instruments such as the UN CRC (Articles 7 & 8) & African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Article 6) and the Nigeria Child Rights Act (2003) (Article 5(2)). One legal identity for all – one of the only SDG to be achieved in Nigeria.

The specialist, while quoting the latest NPC data, said the estimated population of Nigeria is 216,783,381; children under 5 is 16,705,671 and children under 1 is 3,554.005. Meanwhile, Onoise said there were 164 million unregistered children worldwide, with more than half (around 91 million, representing 56 per cent) living in Africa.

He explained that the e-birth registration was designed to close the gap, thereby ensuring that every child counts. “The last Nigerian census was conducted, about 20 years ago. We haven’t had the opportunity of another census yet. And for us, Nigerians, including children have a lot to benefit from being registered.

“We want to make birth registration faster hence the reason we are going digital. We worked in 20 states last year, with plans to add other states in 2024. We intend to flag off the e-birth registration before the end of the month. These states include, Ekiti, Edo, Osun and Ogun and Oyo states,” he revealed.

The chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West Nigeria, Celine Lafoucriere, said birth registration is a fundamental human right, and without legal identity, a child remains unavailable, invisible. “A registered child has acknowledged rights to protection but also to healthcare, education and other critical services. Without child registration, these children remain invisible to our governments, making it difficult to plan adequately for them,” Lafoucriere added.

Speaking on the e-birth registration, Lafoucriere said it is a formidable opportunity to get more children registered and have a legal identity, adding that it cuts off the issues like geographic distance, and makes it easier for parents to register their children as soon as they are born.

Communication officer, UNICEF Lagos office, Blessing Ejiofor, added that the e-birth registration will generates vital statistics that are necessary for effective planning and implementation of policy and budgeting. “If the government does not know how many children it has to budget for, it cannot do it efficiently,” she added.

Ejiofor enjoined media practitioners to relay accurate messages to the population, adding that “Accurate and timely data from birth registration also allows us to monitor the progress that we are collectively making across several sustainable development goals. Your role in this is crucial and cannot be overstated. Your platforms are critical for raising awareness with us, educating the public and holding stakeholders accountable. We cannot drive this without you.”

The permanent secretary, Ministry Youth and Social Development, Lagos State, Pharm. Mrs Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, applauded the idea of e-birth registration, adding that the outcome will go a long way in contributing to the nation’s growth by putting in place the necessary space for children to have a good beginning in life. “A good beginning entails giving every child a legal identity,” she affirmed.

Speaking on what the ministry is doing to protect the rights of every child in Lagos state, Oke-Osanyintolu, who was represented by the director at the Ministry of Youth, and Social Development, Adeola Labisi, said, the minstry place high premium on the best interests of every child in the state, through formulation and implementation of the state policies and programs.

Meanwhile, state director, NPC, Lagos State, Bamidele Sadiku, said the commission has 4,000 civil registration centres spread across the 774 Local Government Areas of the 36 States including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.

Sadiku said a well developed and functioning civil registration system entails the registration of all vital events including births and deaths, adding that e-birth registration, when launch, would provide an identity that usually enables access to a wide variety of basic rights and services as bonafide citizens.