NPC Targets Improved Birth Registration Through Digital System in Oyo
By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju
The National Population Commission (NPC), Oyo State, in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and UNICEF, has commenced a two-day training on the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (ECRVS) birth registration system.
The training, which began on Wednesday, is for NPC and ALGON focal personnel from the 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
Miss Latifah Aspitah-Isah, National Project Coordinator, Birth Registration, ALGON, said the partnership demonstrated what could be achieved when government institutions, local government structures and development partners aligned around a common cause.
Aspitah-Isah said the right of every Nigerian child to be seen, counted and recognised from birth was important.
“Birth registration is not a bureaucratic formality. It is the first legal acknowledgment of a child’s existence.
“It is the foundation upon which a child’s access to education, healthcare, inheritance, nationality and protection from exploitation is built.
“A child without a birth certificate is, in the eyes of many systems, a child who does not officially exist, and that is an injustice we must correct,” she said.
She said Nigeria continued to face significant gaps in birth registration coverage, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
“Too many of our children remain undocumented, invisible to the very systems designed to protect and serve them.
“This is why the work you are about to be trained on is not merely administrative; it is a matter of child rights, national planning and human dignity,” she said.
She added that local governments, being the tier of government closest to the people, occupied a strategic position in improving birth registration.
“You are the bridge between policy and the people. Ward heads, community leaders, traditional institutions and local government officials all trust the structures you represent.
“That trust must now be mobilised to ensure that every birth, whether in a hospital, primary healthcare centre or home in the most remote village, is captured and recorded,” she said.
According to her, the training is designed to equip trainers and registration officers with the knowledge, tools and confidence to cascade the exercise to the grassroots.
“You will return to your respective local government areas not just as participants, but as champions and advocates for birth registration,” she said.
Aspitah-Isah urged the participants to see the assignment as a calling rather than a chore.
“When you register a child, you are not filling a form; you are opening a door.
“You are giving that child a name in the eyes of the law, a foundation for citizenship and a pathway to services that will shape their future,” she said.
She assured that ALGON remained committed to working with the 774 local government areas in the country to ensure that birth registration became a sustained culture.
Mr Ademola Awolola, State Director, NPC, said the training was a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme.
Awolola said the participants were being sensitised and equipped to cascade the training to their respective local government areas.
“You have to pay attention to all the details that are necessary so that the training sessions at the local government level can be effective and the targets and results we are aiming for can be achieved,” he said.
Mr Sikiru Sanda, Chairman, ALGON, Oyo State chapter, and Chairman of Egbeda Local Government, commended the 33 local governments for sending representatives to the training.
Sanda described the turnout as impressive and urged the participants to be attentive and take adequate notes to enable them to perform the task effectively.
“Be attentive and ask questions when in doubt or when you need clarification. It is when you are fully informed that you can do proper documentation,” he said.
He said the essence of the exercise was to establish a fully digitalised birth registration procedure across the country.
“This will help improve development planning as a nation. Statistics that we had in the past were not accurate because of the absence of a proper database.
“This will enable all children in the country to have a national identity,” he said.
The ALGON chairman, however, urged residents of the state not to politicise the exercise, noting that the country was approaching the political season.
“Our people need to know that this process is for the betterment of our children and not about politics,” he said.