By Boluwatife Oshadiya | July 28, 2026
Key Points
- NPC says it has established 4,011 electronic birth and death registration centres across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas
- Commission plans to expand the number of centres to about 8,000 to improve access to civil registration services nationwide
- Birth registration coverage remains about 57%, while death registration is still below 20%, according to the commission
Main Story
The National Population Commission (NPC) says it has established 4,011 functional Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) centres across Nigeria as part of efforts to modernise birth and death registration and improve access to legal identity services.
The commission disclosed that the centres are spread across the country’s 774 local government areas and are expected to provide faster, digital registration services for births and deaths. It also announced plans to increase the number of centres to about 8,000 nationwide.
Speaking during a media briefing in Damaturu on Tuesday to mark the commencement of the exercise in Yobe State, the NPC Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State, Tonga Bularafa, said the electronic registration platform, known as VitalReg, became operational on July 1 and is currently being implemented across all 17 local government areas of the state.
Bularafa said the initiative represents a significant step in modernising Nigeria’s civil registration system and aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The Commission is leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and guarantee that every birth and every death occurring in Nigeria is documented accurately and securely,” Bularafa said.
He noted that Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths are still not officially registered. According to him, birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57%, while death registration remains below 20%, limiting access to legal identity for many Nigerians and reducing the availability of reliable demographic data needed for national planning.
The commissioner added that the VitalReg platform offers round-the-clock online access, improved data validation, reduced paperwork, shorter processing times and digital certificate issuance where applicable.
NPC said it is implementing the programme in partnership with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralise birth registration and legal identity services to communities across the country.
The Issues
Nigeria has struggled for decades with low birth and death registration rates, despite civil registration being essential for national planning, healthcare delivery, education enrolment, voter registration and access to government services. Weak registration systems have also limited the availability of reliable demographic data for policymaking and economic planning.
The Federal Government has increasingly prioritised digital identity and population data reforms through agencies such as the NPC and NIMC, with improved civil registration expected to strengthen social protection programmes, public health monitoring and national development planning.
What’s Being Said
Bularafa said the partnership with ALGON, NIMC, UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited would improve access to registration services at the grassroots while strengthening community participation and the inclusiveness of Nigeria’s civil registration system.
The commissioner also called on state and local governments, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and the media to support the commission’s campaign by encouraging Nigerians to register all births and deaths promptly.
What’s Next
- NPC plans to expand the number of E-CRVS registration centres from 4,011 to about 8,000 nationwide.
- The commission will continue the rollout of the VitalReg platform across Nigeria to improve access to digital birth and death registration services.
- NPC says it will deepen collaboration with government agencies and development partners to strengthen civil registration coverage and improve the quality of demographic data.
The Bottom Line: Nigeria’s push to digitise birth and death registration is expected to strengthen legal identity management and improve the quality of demographic data available for policymaking. However, the success of the initiative will depend on expanding public awareness, improving grassroots access and significantly increasing registration rates across the country.
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