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By Bilkis Abdulraheem Lawal
The e-Birth Registration initiative is a major component of the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS), using digital tools and mobile applications to capture birth data. The system links each registered child to the National Identification Number (NIN), eliminates paper processes, and ensures faster, more reliable documentation.
It also guarantees every child a legal identity, improving access to healthcare, education, and essential services.
The initiative is jointly driven by the National Population Commission (NPC), UNICEF, and state governments, including Lagos, where the programme has been significantly expanded.
The National e-CRVS System
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially launched the e-CRVS platform on November 8,2023, alongside the National Geospatial Data Repository and the National Coordination Committee on CRVS.
The initiative, a partnership between the NPC, UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited, marks a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s civil registration system and advancing progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 16.9.2, which calls for legal identity for all.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment, President Tinubu describes Nigeria’s population as its greatest asset for national development, while the NPC Chairman, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, said the initiative underscores the government’s resolve to improve data capture, processing, and access to vital statistics nationwide.
“The aim of this high-level event is to accelerate improved civil registration and vital statistics systems in Nigeria from 2023 to 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring legal identity for all,” Kwarra said.
NPC’s Compact to Decentralise Birth Registration
Before the launch, the NPC took a major step toward community-level coverage by signing a partnership compact July 3, 2025, decentralised and localised birth registration and legal identity services.
Partners include the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF Nigeria, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited.
Signed by NPC Chairman Mr. Nasir Isa Kwarra and UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Child Protection, Dr. Ibrahim Sessay, the agreement aims to expand access to birth and death registration across local communities.
The decentralised approach is expected to improve service accessibility, enhance efficiency, and strengthen grassroots participation, ultimately improving accuracy and inclusivity of national data.
UNICEF, Lagos State Launch e-Birth Registration Platform
Building on the decentralisation efforts, UNICEF Nigeria in partnership with the Lagos State Government, launched the e-Birth Registration platform in Lagos on November 13, 2025, reinforcing efforts to ensure every child is documented from birth.
Speaking at the launch held at Lagos Island East LCDA, UNICEF Lagos Field Office Chief, Celine Lafoucriere noted that, “birth registration is more than paperwork”. she added “It gives every child a legal identity and access to essential services such as healthcare and education. Without a birth certificate, a child becomes invisible, and we know what happens to invisible children.”
Lagos currently leads Nigeria with about 94% of children under five registered according to Lafoucriere. She noted the need to reach children in informal settlements and hard-to-reach communities.
UNICEF aims to support the registration of 3.69 million children under one year across 15 states, with Lagos targeting 545,000 children in 2025.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the digital platform as a transformative step in linking children’s data to their NIN from birth.
He emphasised that accurate population data is crucial for planning in healthcare, education, and development, adding that all local government chairmen were present to cascade the programme across their communities.
Lagos Implements Digital Birth Registration Across LGAs
Building on the launch and decentralisation efforts, Lagos State is deepening its shift toward digital governance with the rollout of NPC, electronic birth registration system. This innovation modernises civil registration while simultaneously strengthening Nigeria’s wider Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem.
DPI refers to the foundational digital systems such as digital identity, payments, and data exchanges that enable a country to deliver public services efficiently and equitably. By digitising birth registration, Lagos is strengthening one of the most fundamental layers of DPI: legal identity from birth.
In an exclusive interview the Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission in Lagos State, Mrs Saidat Olayinka Oladunjoye explained how the eBirth platform works, why it matters, and how it connects to Nigeria’s broader digital identity plans.
The e-Birth platform replaces the largely manual, paper-based process previously used across the country, aligning Nigeria with global practices.
“The e-Birth registration platform provides a more reliable, accessible, and secure system. Before now, registrars relied on handwritten entries and physical files” Mrs Oladunjoye explained.
Globally, countries building robust Digital Public Infrastructure start with foundational identity systems. In Nigeria this identity layer includes the National Identification Number (NIN) digital civil registration for birth and death records, authentication and verification systems.
Mrs Oladunjoye added that the system allows embassies and authorised institutions to verify certificates digitally, reducing delays and eliminating concerns about authenticity. She noted that the new process also accelerates certificate production and improves monitoring through a central digital dashboard.
How the New Registration System Works
The Commissioner explained that parents may register their newborns at NPC offices, local government secretariats or designated primary healthcare centres across Lagos State.
“Once a child is born in a hospital where we have data capture systems, the process starts immediately,” she said. “Registration is free, and parents are not expected to pay any money.”
The platform also automatically links a newborn to a National Identification Number (NIN), provided at least one parent already has a NIN. This integration, she said, is one of the most significant improvements, ensuring that children have legal identity from birth.
To complete the process, parents must present key information such as the child’s name, date and order of birth, the parents’ names, state of origin, and other demographic details.
Mrs Oladunjoye emphasised that data security is prioritised and only authorised officials such as the Commissioner, state director and relevant department heads have access to sensitive records.
Reaching Hard-to-Access Communities
Mrs Oladunjoye says the NPC collaboration with local government chairmen has opened routes to areas previously underserved as this allowed them to travel to and capture coastal communities.
“Every child must be registered, irrespective of where they live,” she said.
This helps ensure that DPI does not reinforce existing inequalities but actively closes them.
Impacts on National Planning
Mrs Oladunjoye underscored that accurate birth data is indispensable for education, healthcare, and economic planning.
“How do you plan for schools or hospitals if you do not know the number of children in a community?” she asked. “Birth registration gives the government the information it needs to provide classrooms, teachers, health facilities and other basic services.”
The initiative, she said, is part of a nationwide rollout that began in 2024 and was launched by the President Tinubu. Lagos is one of the states leading in implementation. Other states where the e-birth registration has already been launched include Nasarawa, Kano, Borno, and Enugu.
During a one-day training workshop jointly organised Recently by the National Population Commission (NPC) and UNICEF for Registrars and Deputy Chief Registrars across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State on the new Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (eCRVS) system, the NPC State Director, Mr Bamidele Sadiku, disclosed that the state has 144 functional registration centres.
According to him, “These centres are located in health institutions, maternity homes, primary healthcare centres, hospitals, local government secretariats, and the NPC’s local government offices, with at least four registration centres in every local government area.”
Registrar: New Process Is Digital, But Still Requires Physical Capture
At the Ipaja-Ayobo Primary Healthcare Centre, registrar Mr Atolagbe Adebanjo described the system as a significant departure from the old process.
He explained that while the earlier certificate was handwritten and issued immediately, the new e-Birth certificate is digitally produced and typically becomes available within two to three weeks.
“Parents must come with the baby because the child will be physically captured,” he said. Supporting documents such as the parents’ NIN and the baby’s immunisation card are also required.
Legal Expert: Birth Certificates Remain Critical for Rights and Access
Legal practitioner Barrister Tope Alabi stressed the legal importance of birth certificates, noting that they serve as proof of age and identity for education, employment, banking, marriage, voting, and contesting elective positions.
He explained that although failing to obtain a birth certificate does not strip a person of citizenship, it can restrict access to essential civil processes.
On data privacy, he emphasised that Nigeria’s data protection laws safeguard the personal information collected during digital registration:
“The fact that information is collected digitally does not mean it is open to public access. Institutions have a duty to keep such data secure, and breaches attract legal consequences,” he said.
Parents Welcome the Transition
Many parents interviewed expressed satisfaction with the new system.
Mrs. Temitope Oguntomi said she has applied for birth certificates for her 10-month-old and three-year-old children, but is yet to receive them as she was informed they were not ready.
Mrs Oguntomi noted that what she appreciates most about the e-birth certificate system is the convenience of not having to carry physical copies, as the documents can be easily accessed online for verification.
Mrs Bashir, who applied for an e-Birth certificate for her six-month-old, said she first learned about it during an immunisation visit.
“I like the digital certificate because it cannot be easily misplaced,” she said. “My child can always access it in the future. The process was smooth, and I was not charged any money.”
She added that she had already referred three other mothers due to her positive experience.
Mrs Eniola Olagunju, mother of a two-year-old, said the promise of receiving her daughter’s NIN automatically motivated her.
“It will save me the stress of queuing at NIMC offices later,” she said.
As Lagos leads implementation, the NPC says it remains committed to ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of location or circumstance, is counted, recognised and given a legal identity from birth.
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This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
