UNICEF and NPC to digitally register 9.3 million children under the age of five by 2024

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Nigeria Population Commission (NPC), has set a target of digitally registering 9,362,399 under-five Nigerian children by 2024.

UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Dennis Onoise made the announcement recently during a two-day media dialogue on electronic birth registration in the Southwest United States, including Edo State, Lagos State, organized in partnership with the Lagos State Government.

Onoise said that of the 9,362,399 children under the age of five, 4,626,417 would be under the age of one.

He noted that available statistics show that 78.90 percent of people in rural areas register their children at birth, while in urban areas the figure is 44.8 percent.

He said UNICEF and NPC needed to collaborate with primary health care centres to achieve the objectives of electronic birth registration of children in the country.

He believed that the integration of e-birth registration with the National Identification Number (NIN) would go a long way in providing sufficient data in the country.

He added that there are 4,000 registration centres in the country’s 774 local government areas, stating that 2022 population statistics showed that Nigeria had an estimated population of 216,783,381.

He said 16,705,671 of those surveyed were under five children, while 3,554,005 were under one child.

Onoise added that of the 164 million unregistered children worldwide, more than half represent approximately 91 million lives in Africa. That is 56 percent of the unregistered children under the age of five worldwide.

UNICEF’s child protection specialist announced that the organization was working in 20 states by 2023, with the program also set to launch in Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and Oyo states before the end of July.

“We have worked in 20 states by 2023 and we plan to add five more states by 2024. We plan to launch e-birth registration in states like Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and Oyo,” he said.

Earlier, Celine Lafoucriere, head of UNICEF’s Southwest Nigeria office, described the media as a crucial partner in supporting the agency’s mission to ensure that every child in Nigeria has the right to a legal identity.

“Your (journalists) platforms are critical in raising awareness and educating the public and holding stakeholders accountable for the care of these children, ensuring they have legal identity and access to basic services.

“Without child registration, children remain invisible to our governments, making it a major challenge to adequately plan for children’s rights.

“So, your discussions and fieldwork will be centered around that transformative potential of e-birth registration. E-birth registration is a tremendous opportunity,” she added.

Lafoucriere added that accurate and timely data from birth registrations would enable the agency to monitor progress collectively made across several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She said the SDGs include eradicating poverty and hunger, promoting quality education and reducing inequalities, adding that the role of journalists “is crucial and cannot be overemphasized.”

Bamidele Sadiku, Director of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Lagos State, believed that an electronic birth registration platform would improve the lives of Nigerians and prevent duplicate birth and death registrations in the country.

He disclosed that the commission plans to collaborate with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to link both registrations to NIN.

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