14.5m children registered as Nigeria pushes for legal identity for every child

… 6,000 wards now offer digital birth registration — NPC
… FG links birth registration with health, identity systems
By Chioma Obinna
As Nigeria joined other African countries to mark the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, CRVS, over 14.5 million Nigerian children have been registered under the country’s intensified birth registration drive even as the Federal Government moves to ensure that every child born in the country has a legal identity.

The National Population Commission, NPC, disclosed that digital birth registration services are now available in more than 6,000 of the country’s 8,809 wards, with registration increasingly linked to health facilities and community outreach programmes.

The 2026 commemoration, which marks the beginning of the new CRVS decade, 2026–2036, is focused on consolidating gains made under the African Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, APAI-CRVS, through integration, decentralisation and digitalisation.

The NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, said the commission’s priority was to ensure that no child was excluded from legal recognition because of where he or she was born.

He said: “Every registered birth strengthens the foundation for child protection and national development.

“Our priority is to ensure that every child, regardless of where they are born, is counted, protected and recognised before the law.”

Birth registration, stakeholders said, remains the first formal recognition of a child by the state and provides proof of identity required to access essential services, including healthcare, education and social protection.

It also provides governments with vital demographic data for planning and delivery of public services.
Nigeria’s CRVS system is being strengthened through collaboration among the NPC, National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, development partners and communities.

In states including Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara, birth registration is increasingly being integrated with health facilities and community-based services to enable parents to register children closer to the point of birth.

Speaking, the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said digital integration would make identity management more seamless from birth to adulthood.

According to Coker-Odusote, “integrated digital identity systems create a seamless pathway for individuals from birth through adulthood, while improving access to services and strengthening governance.”

UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, said birth registration should not be viewed merely as the issuance of a certificate but as a gateway to a child’s rights.

She said: “Birth registration is far more than a certificate. It is a gateway to protection, services, and opportunity.”

Abdelatef said UNICEF would continue to support the Nigerian government and other partners to strengthen integrated, decentralised and digitalised registration systems.

“As Africa enters a new decade of CRVS systems strengthening, Nigeria remains committed to expanding access to birth registration, improving vital statistics, and ensuring that every child has a legal identity from birth,” she added.

Also, ALGON National President, Hon. Bello Lawal, stressed the importance of decentralising registration services, particularly for children in rural and underserved communities.

He said: “Decentralisation is essential to ensuring that children in remote and underserved communities are not left behind.

“Bringing services closer to families increases access and encourages timely registration.”

Chairman of the House Committee on the National Population Commission, Hon. Okunjimi John Odimayo, said sustained political commitment was critical to building an effective CRVS system.

He noted that strong civil registration and vital statistics systems would support better planning, improved service delivery and stronger development outcomes.

Stakeholders also warned that millions of children across Africa remain without legal identity.

Current estimates indicate that only about half of children under five in sub-Saharan Africa are registered at birth, leaving the region with the largest share of unregistered children globally.

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