UNICEF, NPC Target One Million Children for e-Birth Registration in S’West States, Edo

Funmi Ogundare

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) would before the end of July, flag-off digital birth registration across South-west States including Edo, in an effort aimed at giving every Nigerian child a legal identity.

UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Dennis Onoise, disclosed this yesterday, at a two-day media dialogue with the theme,’Giving every child a Legal Identity: A Media Dialogue to drive e-birth registration in Southwest Nigeria,’ organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development in collaboration with UNICEF and the Nigeria Population Commission (NPC).

He stated that UNICEF would be working with primary health centres in Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Edo States, targeting almost one million children.

In addition to having a birth certificate, the child would be entitled to a National Identification Number (NIN).

The efforts, he added, would go a long way in ending preventable deaths of new born and children under five years of age, while expressing hope that the PHCs would be equipped enough to handle the task.

According to him, “We plan to strengthen coordination amongst stakeholders for a robust and holistic digital civil registration and vital statistics system and legal framework. Support monitoring and evaluation framework for programme management and accountability process for NPC, build capacity of NPC hub team and provide innovative technologies to strengthen their technical capacities, as well as scale up social mobilisation and increase birth registration especially under one and new birth and birth certification.”

Earlier in her remarks, UNICEF Chief Field Officer, Celine Lafoucriere, stated that e-birth registration was important to give every child the right to have an identity that he or she deserves, adding that it was important to national planning and development in the country.

 “E-birth registration should be a right of every child from birth. Once the target of e-registration is met, it would be a game changer for Nigeria to help government to generate valid statistics for planning.

“It is also very important to generate statistics for effective planning. If adequate statistics is not available, government might not be able to adequately plan for children,” she stated.

In his remarks, NPC, Lagos State Director, Mr. Bamidele Sadiku, explained that e-birth registration platform would provide better lives for Nigerians and prevent double birth and death registration in the country.

He also said the Commission was planning to partner with National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to link both registrations with the NIN.

“From time to time, we receive complaint from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other security agencies on the issue of birth registration.

“E-registration, will solve multiple birth and death registration, because it will be linked with NIN. This will give identity to every child that is born in the country.

“The synergy with NIN is there already. It is good and it will help us to have a common database.

“We need the media to give us the support to send this message across Nigeria,” he stated.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mrs. Toyin Oke, said the State government was doing everything possible to secure the future of the children with e-birth registration.

Represented by Mrs. Adeola Olabisi, the Director of Public Finance in the ministry, Oke said the media was very important in the drive for e-birth registration in the country.