By Mary Agidi

The unavailability of accurate data on the number of children in Nigeria has been identified as one of the factors impeding proper social welfare interventions for children. Most births that occur both in certified health facilities and through traditional birth attendants, are not being registered by the authorities responsible for this task, due to various operational challenges.

According to the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), of the 164 million unregistered children worldwide, more than half (around 91 million) live in Africa, accounting for 56 percent of unregistered under-five (U5) children globally.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government, through the National Population Commission (NPC), with the support of UNICEF, recorded an 86 percent increase in the number of registered children in 2023. NPC data for the year states that 9,145,817 U5 children have been registered with a civil authority, including 2,061,162 under-one children. This progress was achieved through the adoption of the e-birth registration process and the integration of immunization exercises, with the National Identity Management Commission to enhance birth registration.

In advanced countries, birth registration attracts many opportunities, and it is widely embraced by citizens as one of the important documents that provide legal identity. Generating accurate data on citizens in developed countries is made easier with advanced technology, collaboration with relevant agencies, and awareness campaigns about the significance of birth registration.

While explaining the importance of birth registration, the UNICEF Chief Officer for Southwest Nigeria, Ms. Céline Lafourrière, noted that it is a fundamental human right that is key to ensuring that every child in Nigeria is given the right to a legal identity, stating, “Without that, a child remains invisible.”

According to her, a registered child has acknowledged rights to protection, healthcare, education, and other critical services. She added that if a child is not legally captured, it would be a significant challenge for the government to plan adequately for the child’s rights.

E-Birth Registration as a game changer for Nigeria’s Civil Registration System

Addressing the transformative potential of e-birth registration, Lafourrière described it as a formidable opportunity to get more children registered and provide them with a legal identity. It helps to eliminate issues of geographical distance, making it easier for parents to register their children as soon as they are born.

“It is an innovative approach, and it truly stands as a game changer for a country like Nigeria with such vast distances to cover. It also presents a huge opportunity to create a robust and reliable Civil Registration System that not only records births but also generates vital statistics necessary for effective planning, policy implementation, and extremely crucial budgeting.

“If the government does not know how many children it has to budget for, it cannot do so efficiently. Accurate and timely data from birth registration also allows us to monitor the progress we are collectively making across several Sustainable Development Goals. We are ready for that, whether it involves eliminating poverty and hunger, promoting quality education, or reducing inequalities,” she asserted.

Recent policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing birth registration in Nigeria include collaborations with primary healthcare facilities during immunization exercises and partnerships with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Rural areas are reported to have the highest number of unregistered children in Nigeria. Rural dwellers often do not practice family planning, leading to uncontrolled births, many of whom are not legally registered. Even though the National Population Commission (NPC) has 4,000 Civil Registration Centres across the country’s 774 local government areas, it still faces significant challenges in registering children in rural communities using both manual and electronic birth registration methods.

Update on e-birth registration in Ondo State and Challenges

Speaking with The Hope, the Ondo State Director of NPC, Mr. Oluyemi Falusi, disclosed that e-birth registration was partially launched in the state about four years ago with the support of UNICEF. However, he lamented that the process was interrupted early this year, due to challenges beyond the control of the commission.

He mentioned that the transition to digital birth registration began around 2020, and by late 2022, an online birth registration system was fully launched, eliminating the need for physical paperwork. However, technical issues, such as the website going down, forced a temporary return to analog methods in Ondo State.

“I’m talking about around 2020. So, between that time and now, we have tried to switch over to digital registration. Initially, we were registering with a device but were still writing the certificate. Then it got to a point where we were capturing the information with a device and also printing the certificate. Late last year, we launched online registration where nothing is written by hand.

“We don’t even have any printed certificates on the ground. You just register online and send it for printing, which generates a complete birth certificate. That was towards the end of last year. But all this while, we have been sponsored by UNICEF and other donor agencies, which means decisions are often taken by them.

“Just at the beginning of this year, the site we were using for online registration went down, forcing us to revert to analog registration. The site was not directly under our control,” he explained.

Falusi highlighted some significant challenges faced by the digital registration process in Ondo State, especially in rural areas. These include a lack of electricity and internet connectivity, a shortage of staff to cover extensive areas in local governments, and issues with movement. He added that even when they succeeded in registering some children in these rural communities, they encountered difficulties in delivering printed certificates to beneficiaries, due to logistical challenges like transportation.

Despite these obstacles, Falusi recounted the efforts of the commission to continue birth registration, considering its importance for national development. He mentioned that when the website was still operational, officers used Android phones to register children in rural communities without electricity, capturing data offline (on paper) and later uploading it when network access was available.

However, he affirmed that efforts are ongoing to secure a public-private partnership (PPP) to manage and restore the online registration system. He disclosed that the commission targets registering 221,791 children in 2024.

The Ondo NPC Director emphasized the importance of birth registration for various legal and administrative processes, including international travel. He, therefore, encouraged the people of the state to take advantage of the free birth registration for children aged 0-17. He noted that those aged 18 and above can no longer get free birth registration but only an attestation, which attracts a fee and requires visiting the state headquarters for signing.

“Birth registration for children aged 0 to 17 is free. For those aged 18 and above, there is a fee to be paid into the government treasury account through Remita.net. My message to the people of Ondo State is that if we want things to be like they are in advanced countries, we should cooperate with government programs, especially in this aspect of birth registration. It has helped the advanced world so much, and I think it is good for us to adopt it. It is useful in so many areas of children’s lives.

“We have seen people who are even abroad already, and they will be crying because they don’t have a birth certificate. Some might have done a court affidavit and thought that would be enough, but when they get there, they realize it is not. They are told that they need a birth certificate from the National Population Commission. I would advise, since birth certificates for those aged 0 to 17 are free, why not just do it? Get it for your children before they turn 18,” he said.