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NPC warns that despite more than five million babies being born every year, only about 40 percent are officially registered, leaving millions without legal identity.
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Commission launches a fully digital civil registration platform to replace manual processes and strengthen Nigeria’s population database.
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Over 4,000 digital registration centres are already operational, with plans to expand to about 8,000 nationwide to reach underserved communities.
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UNICEF says universal birth registration is essential for protecting children and guaranteeing access to healthcare, education and other basic services.
August 12, (THEWILL) — The National Population Commission (NPC) has sounded a fresh alarm over Nigeria’s widening birth registration gap, revealing that although more than five million babies are born across the country every year, the majority remain outside official government records, creating what it described as a major national identity and development challenge.
The Commission disclosed that only about 40 percent of births are currently registered, warning that millions of Nigerian children are effectively “invisible” in official statistics, with far-reaching consequences for national planning, healthcare delivery, education, social protection, security and economic development.
NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, where he called for urgent action to strengthen birth and death registration across the country through technology, stronger partnerships and community participation.
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems provide governments with official records of births, deaths, marriages and other life events, forming the backbone of national identity management and development planning. Nigeria has struggled for decades with low birth and death registration coverage, particularly in rural communities, resulting in significant gaps in demographic data.
Yusuf said the poor registration rate continues to deny government access to reliable demographic data while leaving millions of children without formal legal identity from birth.
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“More than five million children are born in Nigeria every year. According to the most recent Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey, only about 40 percent of births are registered, while death registration coverage remains unacceptably low.
“These statistics underscore the urgent need to accelerate registration coverage through sustainable public awareness, stronger partnerships and increased community participation”, he said.
To reverse the trend, Yusuf announced that the Commission had fully transitioned to a digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system through the Vital Rights Platform, which became operational nationwide on July 1, 2026, effectively bringing an end to manual registration.
He described the initiative as a transformative reform designed to modernise the registration of births, deaths, marriages and other vital events while providing the government with credible, real-time population data for effective governance and sustainable national development.
According to him, the platform features secure digital storage, automated verification mechanisms and unique identification systems capable of reducing duplication and improving the integrity of national records.
He added that the digital infrastructure is also designed to integrate seamlessly with health institutions, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), planning agencies and statistical institutions to improve service delivery and policy coordination.
The NPC Chairman said the Commission was decentralised registration services to ensure that families in rural and underserved communities could easily register births and deaths without travelling long distances.
He disclosed that digital registration services had already been deployed in about 4,000 of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards, while over 4,000 functional registration centres had been established across the country’s 774 local government areas.
According to him, an ongoing expansion programme will increase the number of registration centres to about 8,000 nationwide, making birth registration more accessible and reducing the cost and time required for families to obtain birth certificates.
Yusuf also highlighted the Commission’s growing collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and BAMFOR Technologies Limited under a partnership compact signed in January 2025.
He said the NPC was equally working with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state governments and healthcare institutions to integrate birth registration into routine healthcare services, enabling newborns to be registered immediately after delivery.
Every Child Deserves Legal Identity From Birth, Says UNICEF
Speaking at the event, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Child Protection, Natalie McCauley, described birth registration as one of the most fundamental rights of every child and the foundation upon which every other right is built.
She said obtaining a birth certificate provides children with legal identity and guarantees easier access to healthcare, education, social welfare programmes and legal protection throughout their lives.
McCauley applauded Nigeria’s progress in expanding digital birth registration, noting that registration services are now available in more than 4,000 wards, including remote, hard-to-reach and humanitarian locations.
She urged governments across Africa to prioritise integration, decentralisation and digitalisation of civil registration systems to ensure every child is counted from birth.
“Every registered birth strengthens child protection. Every registered child becomes more visible to the systems designed to serve and protect them”, she said.
McCauley reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen birth registration systems, expand public awareness and ensure that no child is denied legal recognition because of where he or she was born.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
